TAKEN
by Sonnet Lacewing
Summary: This is RotG from Numair's POV. Expect big magic, heavy introspection, and a nice, fluffy ending. This sequels MAELSTROM. And it is, of course, Daine & Numair
1. Chapter 1 An Aching Heart

**Disclaimer: This is heavily based on Realms of the Gods by Tamora Pierce. It is literally that book from the point of view of Numair Salmalin. Some dialogue will be word for word and the plot line will ultimately be hers. The rest is my own twist on a beloved story.**

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**TAKEN**

**Chapter 1 – An Aching Heart**

Numair Salmalin sat in a small room in the Castle at Port Legann being dressed down by his king. The tall mage was weary in every sense of the word. His shoulder length black hair was not tied back in its usual horse tail and though he was just 30, he had acquired one or two white hairs in the otherwise raven mane. Lines around his eyes and mouth showed the stress of the past few months. He watched the king rage at him and pace furiously. Numair wasn't actually taking in much of what was being said. It had all become redundant after the first 20 minutes anyway.

"…not a man I ever thought I would call stupid, but that was stupid," Jonathan of Conte' roared. Numair simply tuned him out.

Veralidaine Sarrasri sat in a chair opposite. The worst part of this situation was having her witness it. The beautiful sixteen year old also looked exhausted. Clearly she wanted to return to Kit, her dragonet, and the length of this lecture had passed the point of serving a purpose.

"… apparently think you're the only one that can stop them, when our archers were doing just fine…" Jon raved on and Numair tuned him out again.

It was to be expected that Jon would choose to go on and on in front of her. Daine did not know Numair had fallen in love with her. Numair had spent every waking minute trying to somehow prove to himself that he might someday be worthy to have her return his affections. So of course he would be humiliated in front of her – it was just one more nail in the coffin his hope had been laid to rest in. Actually, his hope was surely rank by now. It had died on a spring morning when he was revived after nearly dying to rescue her and he looked around to find she had fled his company. His magic, or rather magic he wielded temporarily, had finally frightened her away.

"…damn it, say something to defend these actions!" Jon screamed.

Numair, drawn from his thoughts, looked at the king and blinked. "What is left to say? You're right. I did a stupid thing. I'm lucky to be alive. I wasted power for nothing. You're regretting asking for me to come out of reserve, as you probably should be. Did I miss anything?" He didn't say it sarcastically. It was calm and resigned and clearly infuriated the king even more. Numair thought he heard Daine snort and when he looked up at her, her blue gray eyes bore into him, but all hint of amusement was either gone or had never been there in the first place.

"Then why in the name of Chaos would you do it?" Jon demanded.

"For the exact same reasons I always do stupid things, Jon. I have power. They were hurting someone I cared about. So I blew a few of them up." Jon stopped short and stared at Numair and he felt Daine's gaze fix upon him as well, though he couldn't bear to look at her.

Wyverns were relatives of dragons. They had limited magic and responded to the will of a dragon. Kit had ultimately stopped them by impressing her will on them. But it had been painful for her. He couldn't make her stop and the archers weren't killing the things fast enough due to the magical shields they wore while in combat. Numair had killed a few wyverns to save Kit some pain, or at least that was part of it. But then he couldn't exactly tell the king that he thought he was losing his mind to frustration and depression.

Numair had always been a relatively peaceful man. As a boy at the university, classmates like Tristan Staghorn and the former Carthaki Emperor Ozorne had tortured him endlessly about his "high-minded morals". He was a war-mage by birth with a great deal of gift and a natural talent for blasting things. Obviously people would think him strange for not wanting to use those talents unless absolutely necessary. But lately, there was something cathartic about blowing up immortals. And while he had the best of motivation where the wyverns were concerned, he had to admit himself that he mostly did it because he wanted to make something explode before the emotions he was struggling to hide consumed him.

It had been a hard spring. April had melted into May, and May melted into June in one long unending battle. Daine, Numair, Tkaa and Kit traveled together to fight after fight wherever Jon sent them. They had thought themselves bound for Legann months ago and yet had only just arrived two days prior. Their lives had been flipped upside down by the war. Every day brought couriers wanting them to arm themselves for one new challenge or another. The sound of horns calling riders to mount and ride out became familiar as did thundering message drums, sounding signals to those who had no mages to pass messages. They became used to what mortals hoped never to become used to.

And though he spent most days suffering from sleep-deprivation, Numair dreaded the end of the fighting. He knew it was wrong and so his conscience ate at him. But the moment life returned to a semblance of normal, Daine would go back to courting young swains and he would be left to pine for her. He stayed at a distance for the most part. He tried to touch her in a small but chaste way once a day. It was his way of making sure she knew she was still welcome in the human world. He had found a balance between the distance of January when she nearly died of fever because she was afraid to tell him she was sick and the dangers of being too close and too affectionate.

Jon had intended to keep Numair, Daine and Tkaa in reserve for unusual challenges. The problem was that unusual challenges seemed to be a near daily occurrence. So they traveled and fought together. And he clung to the closest he would probably have to a family – this time with the woman he loved, the dragon he thought of as his own child, and the strange uncle basilisk. If he analyzed it, the days were heartwrenching, but there were moments that were the closest to bliss he imagined he would ever be and it kept him moving forward, hoping for one more smile from Daine and one more happy trill from Kit. Goddess protect the immortal that threatened it – and the wyverns had done just that.

But those were things he couldn't tell Jon. While his king and his friend stood there, pale skin nearly crimson with irritation, he remained stonily silent and completely humiliated.

"Perhaps you need some rest," Jon said finally, calming a little.

"Perhaps so," he said softly. Both he and Daine stood and walked to the door. "For what it's worth Jon, I am sorry for my exuberance. War does strange things to me." He tried to smile though it was difficult. But Jon did smile softly in return.

When the door was closed, Daine flung her arms around him. It was a most unexpected gesture, but he returned the embrace hungrily. "I didn't realize," she said. "It was fair foolish of me not to notice you were protecting Kit." And out of no where she kissed his cheek. Hope resurrected in him as he held on too long, though she didn't seem to notice.

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And so it begins. Please respond


	2. Chapter 2 Dispatched

**Disclaimer: This is based on the work of Tamora Pierce. If you recognize it, she owns it.**

_A/N: Dang! I forgot how hard this was to put anything new in some sections. This is where we do get a brief glimpse in Numair's head too, which made it much harder. Hopefully, you'll like what I did._

_Numair's Lover: I'm glad you're already hooked. Some of it will seem redundant, but what can I do? The good stuff is coming._

_Ann: Thanks. When I'm done posting, I'm sure there will be more. The great thing about writing a good fanfic is that spawns others. And I might do more stuff. It just won't be as fast._

_Sarramaks: Thank you for the kind compliment. I have the advantage of working from an already very deep character. Plus, I figure if I had to love someone in silence for six months I'd be going out of my mind. That's a long time to keep a secret of that magnitude._

_1reallyblue1: Of course you know more is on the way. I'm obsessive._

_Kit49: Thank you so much. You know there's such heavy expectations for this story that I'm actually nervous I'll somehow let everyone down. I've already written the epilogue in my head and some other things. In the meantime, poor Numair gets to have yo-yo emotions (up and down and up and down)._

_Blackandwhiteroses: Thanks. I felt like something massive had ended when I closed Maelstrom, so I couldn't handle not moving forward immediately._

_Goldeneyedwildmage: I laughed at all of that. You should read LR, it is actually the best one. And though I could see that Liam wasn't the man for Alanna, he was an intriguing character. What she had to do to get the dominion jewel was impressive. And also that book introduces Thayet and Buri in a great way. It is also the first time Buri and Raoul meet._

_Bitterosemary: Thanks. That really was one of the better lines too. Jon is a great character because he can be so indignant and rant and rave for a very long time and then turn around and be endearing again. I laughed when I read that you thought of them as hippogriffs. I never write HP fanfic though I have probably read each of the books more times than anyone I know. I have audio versions to listen to in my car even. _

_Purple Eyed Cat: This one will be even more challenging that Two Weeks In Carthak because they are together a lot more. I can already see a struggle to give fresh ideas. But a few will come up soon._

_Ethalas Tuath'an: Thanks. His hope is going to be very up and down for a while. His internal struggle is about to get very difficult. I always try to write the stories like the real books have to, reiterating enough of prequels that they aren't absolutely necessary. Since this is practice for real writing, I figure I should._

_Hoshi-ko88: Fluffy stuff is coming up, but it will be a while yet. _

_Narms Briton 44: Most of my Numair torture in this story is mental – at least until we get to the fight with Hadensra. _

_**Chapter 2 - Dispatched**_

Daine and Numair returned to the guard tower where Tkaa was watching over Kit. The little dragon was extremely pale and was sleeping fitfully beneath a small blanket on a cot. Her immature wings were folded against her back and she was huddled in a ball.

The basilisk, a 7 foot tall immortal that resembled a delicate lizard on its hind feet, stood staring out the window. The time they had spent with him, had given Numair the opportunity to really get to know Tkaa. He was a brilliant and observant creature who had spent many years in the divine realm talking with immortals and then crept into the mortal realm when a mage had opened the barrier to bring in other creatures. He was capable of speaking mind to mind with all sorts of creatures, both immortal and mortal. He was the only individual other than Daine who could hear the mindspeak of animals and he was both a philosopher and a scientist. Numair had become very fond of Tkaa and had learned a great deal from him.

Daine was looking at Kitten worriedly. "I don't like her color. She's never been that shade before. Pale blue, yes, but – going white along with the blue? It's as if she's turning into a ghost." Daine's gaze traveled from Kit to Numair and he could see that she needed reassurance.

"She is weary," Tkaa responded, turning back to face them. "For a dragon as young as Skysong, the effort of will required to send a Wyvern about his business is tiring. She will be fine when she awakes," he promised.

Numair trusted Tkaa's judgment, but he was worried about what might happen if she tried to stop them again. "What if the Wyverns return before then? The king was – unpleased – when I attempted to fight them the last time."

Daine shot him an amused smile and then reiterated what Jon had already hammered in. "You were ordered to keep your power in reserve. Archers can do for wyverns as well as you," she said with a wink and he knew full well she was suggesting that she would protect Kit, "and there might come something archers _can't _fight. _Then_ he'll need you."

"The wyverns should not return for at least a day," Tkaa responded. "They too used up their strength to defy a dragon's command for as long as they did."

"I can't believe they ran," Daine said. "She's not even three years old." Daine picked up a brush and began to drag it through her smokey curls. She usually wore her very thick hair pinned out of her face, but she and kitten had risen at sunrise to fight the Wyverns, leaving no time for hair taming. Numair tried not to stare at the brush though he was somewhat hypnotized by the motion. He preferred her hair down but never dared to say so. It fell to naturally frame her features and highlight what he considered an exquisite face. He was too tired to look away as quickly as he should have and she caught him staring but she just smiled. Numair had been up through the night. It had been nearly 36 hours since he'd slept now and the exhaustion was beginning to wear on him. But he couldn't bear the thought of leaving.

He watched Daine from where he stood by Kitten for a moment longer and then turned his gaze to the dragon. She looked so small and fragile. He stroked her gently once and thought about this war. They had known it was going to be difficult since spies began to report an alliance of the Copper Islanders, Carthaki rebels, Scanran raiders, and untold immortals. They had struck Tortall and their allies with a strategic brilliance, showing much more organization than Tortall had ever dreamed. The various enemy forces had struck the northern border, western coast, and a hundred points within the realm simultaneously. Jon had rallied every fighter at his disposal, sending Alanna of Pirate's Swoop with several battalions to the north and Raoul of Goldenlake and several troupes to the south and spreading riders and the king's own throughout the middle.

Numair, Daine, Tkaa and Kitten had become a team of magical troubleshooters. Daine possessed wild magic, which enabled her to ask animals and birds to fight the invaders. She was also a magnificent archer and a highly effective spy, given her ability to shape shift into any animal. Kitten, who was previously thought of as merely Daine's ward, had shown her own amazing abilities with growing dragon power. Tkaa could turn anyone who crossed him into stone and could provide unbelievably in-depth information on immortals they had never before encountered. Numair rounded off the team with his own powerful gift and ability to comprehend schemes that seemed nearly impossible. The group had managed to stave off disaster after disaster for nearly twelve weeks.

The four had ridden all night to get to the king a mere two days before. Numair had slept for four hours and jumped into action. Sooner or later, he was going to have to rest properly.

He thought about the things that Jon had told them at dinner the night they arrived. "Our true allies are pressed to the wall. Maren, Galla, Tyra – immortals hit them at the same time they hit us. Emperor Kaddar does his best to guard our southern coast, but he's got a rebellion on his hands. The emperor of the Yamani Islands has promised to send a fleet, but even when it comes, it will be needed to relieve the siege on Port Caynn and on Corus." If something didn't change, Numair did not see a way for them to prevail.

Kitten stirred in her sleep, interrupting his thoughts. "Shh," he murmured, stroking her again. The dragon twisted so that her belly was half exposed and quieted again. Numair looked up and saw Daine staring at him with a half smile on her lips. Their eyes locked for the first time in weeks and his stomach did its familiar flip. The sensation was almost immediately followed by a twinge from the hollow pain that had settled in his chest the morning she had fled him.

He barely heard the boy that stuck his head in the open door until his name was spoken. "'Scuze me, m'lord Numair, Lady, um—um—sir" (this was a common confusion when people tried address Tkaa) "His majesty needs you now, up on the coast wall, the northwest drum tower. If you'll follow me?"

Numair looked again to Daine, both of them clearly wondering what disaster had arisen now. "Kitten---" Daine began.

"I will remain with Skysong, "Tkaa assured her.

Daine stood on tiptoe to pat the immortal's cheek. "You're fair wonderful, Tkaa." Numair wondered if it was a sign his sanity had left him when he was mildly jealous of the basilisk. Daine and Numair followed the boy at a brisk walk.

A commoner knelt at the king's feet. He was clearly exhausted, his skin tinged with gray and his clothes torn and sweat-soaked. He was gulping from a tankard as if he had not tasted water in days. Beside him was a tray with a pitcher and a plate of sliced bread, meat, and cheese. Jon leaned against the tower wall, reading a sheet of parchment. Jon's face told Numair that whatever was going on, it was terrifying and dire.

"This is Ulmer of Greenhall, a village southeast of here," Jon explained. "He has ridden hard to reach us, and his news is – unsettling."

"Unsettling? I don't like the sound of that," Numair remarked.

"The village headman writes that five _things_ came out of the Coastal Hills near Greenhall the day before yesterday. They kill what they touch—"

"Skin 'em with magic," Ulmer interrupted. "Can't shoot 'em." He refilled the tankard with trembling hands. "I mean _y'can_, but it does them no hurt. Swords, axes –" He shook his head and then having just realized he'd interrupted the king, he ducked submissively. "Beggin' your pardon, sire."

"It's all right, Ulmer," Jonathan assured. He turned to face Daine and Numair with a look in his eyes that showed he was clearly mystified. "Sir Hallec of Fief Nenan went to fight them at sunset yesterday. They killed him." He grimly rolled up the parchment. "Fortunately, the Skinners don't move after dark, and are slow to start in the morning – they seem to need to warm up. The people of Greenhall have fled, but… there are rich fields in this part of the realm, as you know. We will need those crops this winter." He looked them each in the eye apologetically. "I'm sorry. I know you're exhausted, but –"

Numair smiled and finished it for him. "You need your other mages to deal with the enemy fleet and the siege. This _is _why you've kept me in reserve, Your Majesty." He now wished he could apologize again for using magic on the wyverns. It really had shown poor judgment on his part.

"The wyverns –" the boy who had brought them said. He blushed when the others looked at him. Numair understood his concerns. The wyverns had some unique powers. They breathed a yellow fog that gave humans a dry, lasting cough and made the eyes burn and blur. A crew of one of the great catapults, half blind and unable to breathe, had dumped a boulder among their own soldiers. The boy had a look of grief about him that made Numair wonder if a friend or family member had been among those soldiers. As much as he hated to admit it, their best defense against wyverns was Kitten.

Numair looked to Daine, sharing a silent conversation. "Kit stays," she said firmly. "Tkaa knows more about helping her than I do anyway."

"She won't protest?" Jon asked.

Daine shook her curly head. "She doesn't like us being apart for long, but she's gotten used to it since the war started. Sometimes we're more useful when we're apart." Numair smiled to himself. In fact, Kit had sometimes been very vocal about her displeasure of separation – not that she could talk. The various clicks, purrs, whistles and hums that she made usually got her point across and sometimes caused chaos around them. If she was upset, things could fly or even melt around until she was returned to Daine's side. It was a trick Numair wished he could get away with.

"I'll guide you to – home," Ulmer said, hoarsely. He tried to get up and failed. The poor man looked so completely exhausted that Numair felt guilty for wishing for sleep.

"There's no need," he said gently. "If you do not object, I'll take the knowledge of the route to your village from your mind. You're in no condition to ride." The man looked at him fearfully, but Jon nodded reassuringly.

"I'll pack for us both and give the word to Tkaa," Daine said. "Meet you at the stables soonest."

Numair saw Jon reach for her sleeve. "Be careful," the king said. "These creatures sound like nothing that anyone has encountered before." He handed her the parchment letter with a worried look.

"Numair will set them to rights, Majesty. Just make sure you're still here when we come back." Numair felt a surge of pride in her confidence in him. He felt that hope swell again. Someday he might earn the right to love her.

"I think we can manage that much," Jon replied. "Unless they get reinforcements, we can hold them all summer if we must." Numair saw both Daine and Jon tap their heads with closed fists. It was their version of knocking on wood, having been born from some private joke about hard-headedness that Numair had somehow missed out on. "Look at the bright side," Jon continued. "It's Midsummer's Day – maybe the Gods will throw some luck at us!"

"Midsummer – do you know I'd fair forgotten," Daine responded wryly. "Maybe I'll look in a pond along the way and find out who my true love will be." Jon laughed. Numair felt crushed.

The ritual itself didn't seem like it could possibly work. A girl would stare into a pond on this one day of the year and, if she was single and of age, supposedly see the image of her true love superimposed over her own reflection. By all he knew of magic and science, it didn't seem reasonable and yet women swore by it. It was possible that the Goddess, who ruled over the heart and women and children in general, visited them on this one day each year and made it happen. Of course priests had neither seen nor heard of anyone seeing the great gods in months. Some more conservative imbeciles had said it was a sign that Jonathan had let Thayet have too much freedom. Numair wondered if perhaps they didn't like human wars.

He wondered who Daine would see if she looked in a pond. It didn't seem possible that it could be him. Certainly the months of telling himself all the reasons they could not be together supported that. But that tiny part of him that was resurrected hope said _It could be you. You love her truly and would never hurt her. Why not?_ He shook the thought away and focused on the task at hand.

"I will not take anything but what you offer. Simply imagine the route home as if you're riding it now," Numair instructed. He placed his hands on Ulmer's temples and black fire sparkled lightly as he took the knowledge.

When he pulled his hands away, the exhausted man looked at him in shock and said, "That's it? I thought it would hurt."

Jon patted Ulmer on the shoulder and shot a meaningful glance at Numair. "Now you know your home is in the best of hands."

Numair pulled a blue opal from his mage pack and took Jon aside. "I think this might help Kit if the wyverns come back. It should amplify her. Tkaa can probably tell her how. I won't get to say goodbye to her so.." He put the opal in Jon's hand.

The two men stared at one another in silence for a moment. "Be careful," Jon said finally, and like he had done so many times now he added, "And don't die."

"Don't worry. I won't let you down if I have anything to say about it." The two men shook hands and Numair headed to get food provisions. He knew Daine would probably already be packed and saddling Spots. She was efficient and he'd have to hurry to keep up.

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Okay, respond.


	3. Chapter 3 Skinners

**Disclaimer: This is based on the work of Tamora Pierce. If you recognize it, it's hers.**

_A/N: _

_Alanna Cooper: You know me. I can't stop writing. My muses have possessed me._

_Purple Eyed Cat: Yep, skinners. Thank you for the kind compliments._

_1reallyblue1: Writing this chapter made me shudder. Those skinner things were truly terrifying. I wonder what nightmare TP pulled them out of._

_Hoshi-ko88: I hope you see a little more difference here. There is still a lot of the same stuff, but it's filled with thoughts and a belief that he would die._

_Blackandwhiteroses: At the end of this chapter they have been pulled in._

_Confusedknight: My muses have possessed me. I can't stop. I can't sleep properly. I dream the stories. Then I type like a maniac. Thanks for all the kind compliments._

_Narms Briton 44: Yep a long way. But, this gets us into the realms of the gods, so its all divine from here._

_Goldeneyedwildmage: I'm glad you liked the fleeing sanity. When I read the Alanna books I was a little mystified that she couldn't see that only George loved all of her the way she was. But then I've had friends like that – they go from man to man, never quite seeing the one that got away._

_Lady Araceli: Thanks. More spins here._

_Sarramaks: I think you are the only one who really noticed the hairbrush thing. But it was part of his state of mind anyway._

_Kit49: Thanks for the heads up on the error. I fixed it right away. And thank you for the compliments._

_Nativewildmage: Thanks so much._

_**Chapter 3 - Skinners**_

The left Legann separately, Daine in eagle form and Numair riding his gelding Spots and carrying both packs. He was using his gift to magically conceal himself. He could have hidden Daine as well, but she was probably safer this way and she could certainly see farther. Still he missed her company on the ride. It was hard. He wasn't the best rider in the world for sure, although he was getting better since Daine had been giving him lessons. But he was very tired and had the incredible urge to doze.

He kept repeating everything he had read on creatures that killed with a touch aloud as if he were trying to instruct Spots. When he grew weary of that he thought about shifting and flying up to meet Daine. That would be a terrible waste of power and it would leave Spots vulnerable. Daine would never forgive him.

And soon he allowed his thoughts to wander through the one thing guaranteed to keep him from sleeping – should he tell Daine how he felt? He had certainly been given enough advice to that order. All three of the people who knew his secret had encouraged this. But he didn't want to coerce her and he kept thinking about that spring morning. He had awaken from the powerfully sharp pain of having his heart restarted and looked up to see Duke Baird hanging over him, sweat dripping from the effort. Lindhall and Alanna were close enough for him to see too. He had looked up into their faces and heard them laugh with relief. And then he searched for Daine. She was not there and he had not seen her go. He never saw her at all once he had come from his soil prison. It was a fact that had crushed him completely.

It was right that Daine should want someone her own age and someone less absorbed in magical education. He knew all the worst things about himself and was loathe to inflict them on her when he really considered the possibility. He also could not forget the pain his reputation had already caused her through a beau named Perin who wanted nothing more than to lie with her. When she had refused Perin, he had grown violent and cruel and told her she was clearly a harlot, a perception he had drawn from Daine's association with Numair. And though Numair knew in his heart that he would eagerly marry her if she fell in love, it would not clear the tarnish from his name and she would suffer it by association. In the end, he decided he dared not speak, as always.

It had been easier before he was aware of his feelings. He could remember searching for some truth about his behavior toward her before the time he became aware that it was love. But while it dogged him, it did not haunt him like the knowledge of his affections had. Six long months he had struggled with this secret and he did not know how much longer he could last. But he knew there were worse things than the possibility that she might be coerced. What if she laughed outright? He had never worried about rejection before, but this time he had hidden his feelings for so long that he had become fragile. And their friendship meant so much that he could not bear the thought of losing it. Sadly, people didn't die of broken hearts, they just bled sorrow until nothing of them remained worth noting. Death was surely preferable to being an empty, emotionless shell. He had been given the option by the Goddess to die back in October. She warned him that there would be much pain if he returned to his life. Somehow he had overlooked that when the offer was made. He wanted nothing more than to see Daine again and so he chose life without reservation so that he could follow her like one of the lost puppies she had adopted in Corus. No, that was a bad analogy – a puppy could show affection without anyone thinking him a letch. It might be better to think himself a baby skunk following her around, and getting stuffed out of site repeatedly so the servants would not kill it.

"Time to stop feeling sorry for myself," he said aloud to Spots. The mental argument and black thoughts had served their purpose. He was nearly there and still awake. He looked around for Daine, the eagle, and then unlatched his invisible bracelet. It was a cloaked locket with a portrait of her beautiful face inside and one chestnut curl tucked behind a gold clip in the other side. He stared at the miniature of her features for a long moment, wishing he could be ten years younger and an unknown to the ladies of the court. Then he could be a swain who might ask her to festivals and kiss her on a public terrace. He could also propose to her and build a respectable life with her at his side. Wishes like that served no purpose however. In ritual fashion he whispered to the portrait, "I love you and you're still breaking my heart," and he connected the bracelet back to the chain, making it disappear.

He rode into the area Ulmer's mind had described, only it looked nothing at all like that anymore. The grass and trees were dead and actually appeared as if they had been that way for months or even years. He could see what had clearly been an alfalfa field. Small stacks of scythed hay littered the edges. It was as dry and dead as if it had been there for years except it lacked the smell of natural decay. He was reminded horribly of the word of power that Cearl de Romondo had tried to use in December, pulling the moisture from the living things around. But this was much, much worse. Looking at his surroundings with his magic, the natural magic that he should have seen in everything – the emerald threads of life in the grasses and weeds, the sapphire glow of moisture in the air, even the bronze mist that accompanied the organic breakdown of natural compost – it was all gone. It was as if light had been taken from the world in this area. It was nothing more than a dead zone.

Numair threw off his cloaking spell and immediately heard the call of an eagle in the dead trees above him. He watched as Daine descended to grasp her pack in her talons and carry it behind a tree. She was dressed in less than a minute. "It's horrible," she said as he dismounted. "I saw them touch a hare. Patches of its fur appeared on them temporarily. The poor thing was skinned that fast. It could barely cry out." He could see the pain of it on her face and without thinking, he reached for her hands, gripping them tightly. Then he realized he had already had today's touch and he let go regretfully. "I searched them with my magic and nearly fell out of the sky. It was as if they ripped a hole in it." Daine unsaddled Spots and sent the gelding into the still living woods while Numair unpacked her crossbow and hid their packs beneath a tree. He tried to think what might have that effect on her magic. The worst she had encountered thus far had been the antimere magic spanning a chasm in the forest by Corus. But for her it had merely made her queasy. The effect she described was similar to what he felt when he tried to touch antimere magic. He was horrified to think that these creatures might be worse than what they had faced in the spring. It had taken him a month to find a solution. Now he had an hour at best.

"Can we beat them?" he asked her, passing her the crossbow and quiver and dreading the answer.

Her eyes met his and there was obvious fear in them. "I don't know. I've never seen the like of these things." Daine was not a fearful person by nature. If anything she was optimistic. A sense of foreboding settled on Numair.

He took his cloak off and covered their packs with it. His magic gathered around him as he prepared for a hard fight. "Give me that quarrel," he directed, holding out his hand for the bolt she had been about to load. She passed it promptly. He spelled it to make it like a magical explosive pack. It would not detonate until he set it off.

He looked to the peach orchard that the Skinners had moved into. Everything was dead. No light illuminated any piece in his magical vision. It was so unnatural. Nothing should be capable of this. He wondered what monstrous event could have created such an abomination and why the Goddess would allow it to continue to eat the creations of her own hand and not return them to the natural cycle. If he ever saw her again, he planned to ask.

He thought about the bounty of this land that was being destroyed and what it had been intended for. These peaches, the alfalfa hay, the apple trees and lettuce fields were all food for people or livestock who now suffer when winter came. These produce rich lands provided much of the winter supplies for the northern parts of the realm. As they traveled over the last few months, Numair and Daine had seen the consequences of war in impoverished families who had lost fathers, brothers, and in some cases sisters and mothers to the attackers.

The description Daine had given him of how they killed left him feeling nauseated. It would be a very unpleasant way to go and unless they found a way to fight them successfully, it might be his fate. "Is it all like this?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"Worse," she answered. "There's acres of it, clean back to the hills." She lifted the crossbow he had given her at midwinter and took deliberate aim. The skinners turned and looked at them with horrifyingly blank countenances. They did not appear to have eyes, nostrils, mouths, or ears of any kind. They looked like five flesh colored blobs with legs and arms and still they seemed to have an awareness of obstacles in their surroundings.

Daine shot as straight and true as always, burying the crossbow bolt in the head of one of the skinners. Numair drew the rune that would detonate his spell and the thing exploded, showering its companions with bits of itself. But before either Daine or Numair could really celebrate, the chunks began to gather and reform. Now there were ten skinners -- five larger ones and five smaller. They no longer seemed willing to ignore Numair and Daine and charged them.

Numair collected the monsters in a magical net, pulling them into the air. He couldn't maintain the magical grip though. They broke through and crashed back to the ground, advancing again.

"I hope the owner of this orchard forgives me," Numair voiced aloud. He murmured the old Thak words that he had used in battles many times. The ground tore and split open, creating a crevasse that dropped beneath the advancing skinners and they fell in.

Numair raced to the edge to look, glancing once over his shoulder. Daine was right behind him. "If I can seal them into the earth, that may be the end of it. I certainly hope so." The pair stopped at the edge of the fissure and peered in. "I _hate_ just blasting them with raw power like this. There is always a spell to uncreate anything, although the consequences may be – oh, dear."

The skinners were climbing the signs. He grabbed Daine and pulled her back to safety and then shouted the word to close the crevasse. It drew power from him painfully and echoed violently in his head. If they survived, he would be wiped out. The earth rumbled, knocking them down; and the crack sealed.

They both peeled themselves off the ground, Numair praying in a whisper, "Please Goddess, please Mithros, let that stop them. Grant a boon on Midsummer's Day—" Daine helped him stand and he swayed from the power drain.

Suddenly Daine whirled. "Numair!" she cried and shot the head of an emerging skinner with her crossbow. The unmagicked bolt had no effect. The creature rose from the ground as if it had climbed a stair.

Numair used another Old Thak spell to turn the thing into water. He whirled to do the same to another skinner. Half out of the earth, it dissolved.

Five spots near them exploded as skinners leaped free of the ground. Daine screamed. This was it, he couldn't get out. He didn't have the power to fly free, but she did. In a fraction of a second his mind replayed Jon's final words, "Don't die." Jon had said that so many times he had lost count, but this time there would be no avoiding death. Numair reached to pull Daine to him, intending to convince her to flee even if he had to beg, but two pairs of hands clutched the girl by the arms, dragging her into a patch of air that burned silvery white.

He didn't know what had Daine but if she didn't shift soon she would die too. "No!" he shouted and wrapped both arms around her, fighting the phantom hands. Some part of him recognized the light surrounding them from somewhere – was this a divine force? But he was too frightened to let go and it all happened so quickly. He clutched tightly to the woman he loved in one last, desperate embrace as they were pulled into the brilliant light and excruciating pain.

Behind him he heard a familiar voice, one that grated on his soul, "Curse you, follow them! Follow, _follow, FOLLOW!"_

Unseen by Numair or Daine, an inky shadow leaped free of the grass to wrap itself around Daine's feet. Mage, Magelet and shadow vanished into bright air.


	4. Chapter 4 Sarra

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it belongs to Tamora Pierce**

_A/U: I always love the idea of meeting someone who can read minds in a story because you know you're going to think of all the things you don't want to think of, right in front of them._

_Confused Knight: 90 wpm. I'm a speed typist._

_Bitterosemary: Glad you're engrossed. Hope you like this chapter which gave me a little more room for creativity._

_Numair's lover: Thanks_

_Starlit Emerald Eyed Empress: He's got a darker nature so I think his introspection turns to depression sometimes. And I'm doing my own book after this._

_Ethalas Tuath'an: Thanks_

_Hoshi-ko88: We have different takes on her parents and what they think of him. But you'll get to see Sarra here._

_Kit49: That's part of his balance rules. He allows himself one touch a day so that she doesn't think he's avoiding like she did at the beginning of Maelstrom._

_Alanna Cooper: After this story I am focusing on my own book. But I might drop by once in a while._

_Goldeneyedwildmage: This isn't first person POV. I stuck that in because I wanted clues in case someone reads this that never read the series. That's practice for when I do my own books. Publishers always want the sequels to be able to stand alone if necessary._

_Blackandwhiteroses: I hope my private answer was good enough. But thanks for the compliments._

_**Chapter 4: Sarra**_

His awareness was scattered. He could remember having his arms pried from Daine. An unfamiliar male voice said, "We could send him back through." An indignant sound from an unfamiliar female voice followed. And then a familiar gruff voice said, "If he dies she won't forgive you." Then there was blackness.

His dreams became confused. He _stood in Tristan Staghorn's workroom in Dunlath, working to send the bloodrain to the place that is not a place. But it spilled, burning painfully through him and rushed in a flood toward Daine. _"Daine!" he screamed.

An indistinct female soothed him, "Shhhh!"

_The skinners were bearing down on them. Daine shifted to a rabbit and the thing touched her. Instantly all her fur disappeared leaving her muscle and tissue bleeding and bare. She died instantly._ "Goddess, no! Daine! The skinners! No," his throat burned from crying out.

The same female voice calmed him, "Shhhh! Master Salmalin. It's alright." She gave him something bitter to drink.

_Daine flew in eagle form over the skinners. Suddenly she returned to herself and fell in slow motion, landing at the feet of the flesh colored monsters. They stole her flesh and her life in a breath and he could only watch. _"Daine! DAINE!" He screamed and sobbed.

Again the female voice came to ease him, "Shhh, Daine is fine. You're only dreaming."

When he returned to consciousness, his body was throbbing painfully. He was lying in a bed in a room he had never seen before. The bed was strange. Though it was narrow, it was actually long enough for him to lie on his back. He did not know where he was but he looked around for Daine and couldn't see her. "Daine!" he called. "Daine!" He tried to lift himself from the bed and a pretty woman who looked to be around the same age as him entered the room.

"Shhh, Master Salmalin." She had blue eyes and a dimpled smile. Her cheekbones were high and gave her eyes a laughing appearance. She had a braided crown of golden hair. Though none of her features specifically resembled Daine's there was something in the eyes reminiscent of his love that made him trust her automatically.

"Where's Daine? Is she safe? The skinners will kill her." The panic began to rise again and he tried once more to lift himself from bed. The monsters had been horrible and he couldn't imagine being trapped in with them.

"You're fair stubborn," she said with a smile. "Daine is safe and resting in another room."

"Is she hurt? Something had her," he said with urgency.

"She's fine and needs sleep. Just like you." The woman seemed to be studying him. "We brought her here and yourself."

"And the skinners? They'll kill everything…."

She shook her head and clicked her tongue. "The badger went to deal with those skinners. Rest now, Master Salmalin, rest."

Dizzy, he lay back against the pillow. "May I – may I see Daine?" he asked her.

"She needs her rest now. You can see her later."

He realized that he was barely dressed and he pulled the blanket that he had twisted around himself in his fitful sleep to cover him better. Then he reached to feel that his bracelet was still attached and cloaked. He could feel it. The woman eyed the motion curiously but didn't seem to guess its significance.

"You're fair handsome," she said, "Though I've looked in on you, I'd not realized that before. It's not something the badger would notice."

The whole comment seemed strange and yet he was more struck by how much her phrasing was like that of Daine's. "I do not understand. You've looked in on me? Do I know you?"

"My name is Sarra – Sarra Beneksri." She smiled again, her dimple creasing attractively.

"Daine's mother? Are we dead then? Is this…"

She laughed. "No, you are very much alive, though you wouldn't be if we had not pulled you through. You're in the Realms of the Gods."

"We?" he asked.

"Daine's father and me," she answered.

He felt hope doing flip flops in his stomach. "Which God is he?" he asked quietly.

"Weiryn," she said with a very big smile. "The badger said you were fair brilliant. You've watched over our girl well, though I don't like all the fighting you drag her into."

He didn't know what to say about that so he said nothing. His mind was repeating everything the Goddess had told him the previous October. "_Now as Numair Salmalin you are a great man, worthy of the daughter of a god if you so choose… If there is to be love and family in your future it will be up to you to show your heart at the right moments. And it will be up to you to accept what cannot be changed. You must be patient and open at all times and you must accept the freedoms of others to make their own wrong and right choices. Do you understand?"_ Daine _was_ the daughter of a god. His gift was drained, his whole body was exhausted, his mind was overwhelmed, and everything hurt, but still his heart was doing a tap dance in his chest.

"You've seen the Goddess?" she asked, blue eyes twinkling.

Taken aback he wondered how she might have read his mind. He had protected his thoughts thoroughly against outside penetration. The only being he had ever known who could bypass it was the Badger. "Are you also a goddess?" he asked in return.

"Yes. There was a need so Weiryn petitioned the great gods."

He sighed heavily. "So no matter how well I try to protect my thoughts, you can see into my mind, like the badger." This was not the way he would have preferred to introduce himself to Daine's parents, especially since he had not yet told Daine how he felt.

"Not exactly," she answered. "Some moments, thoughts, and feelings are more clear than others. The memory of the Goddess was very clear. And you kept calling for Daine in your sleep. It's why I offered to tell you the badger went to fight the monsters. Weiryn won't like it. Since Daine doesn't know, it's best we wait to let him see."

This was definitely not the way he wanted to meet the father of the woman he loved. _As if I haven't struggled enough to hide my feelings. Now I'm going to try to hide them from someone who can read my thoughts?_ he wondered.

Her eyes twinkled. "You've no harm in you. He'll come 'round. Meantime I'll help you keep this secret. Though it's strange – most men wouldn't think twice about telling her."

"I don't want to confuse her," he answered resignedly.

She studied him for a moment. "Are you sure that you aren't the confused one?"

Of course, now he was confused. "I don't understand."

She laughed. "It would be too easy to break the rules around you. I must be careful. I agreed not to meddle in mortal emotions when I came to this realm. Otherwise I'd tell you how strange you really are."

She was likeable enough. Numair could remember Daine telling him many times that she charmed numerous men in their village. He could see that as possible, although he didn't think she was quite as beautiful as Daine. And she didn't quite have Daine's spirit either. But it was shaking him up a bit to realize that they looked to be the same age. Daine's mother very closely resembled the type of woman that he used to be drawn to. There was something extremely unsettling in that knowledge. He also knew that he would grow to look older than Sarra and it would be soon. She would literally stay 29 forever, something most mortal women seemed to wish for. All of these thoughts flashed through his mind in a second followed by, _I wonder how much of that she heard?_

She laughed which was a good enough answer. "Now, Master Salmalin, what do I have to do to get you to rest?"

"Tell me she doesn't hurt as bad as I do," he answered. Sarra laughed again. It seemed easy to make her laugh. She had some of Daine's happy nature or perhaps Daine had some of hers. This was confusing. "She will recover?"

"Yes, she will recover." She searched his face, eyes twinkling. "This is a strong love, Master Salmalin. Are you sure you want to keep this a secret?"

He smiled. There was no point in answering. The hundred reasons he had kept the secret had rampaged through his mind unbidden the second the question was asked and he was sure she now knew them all. Daine was still free to choose. That was what the Goddess had said. But there was a chance. He had hope. Sleep came better than it had in weeks.

-

-

Okay. Now respond.


	5. Chapter 5 Gods and Goddesses

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it belongs to Tamora Pierce**

_A/N: I put a little reference in this chapter to something that was never explained in WM. The badger told Daine he guided her to Tortall when he actually hadn't found her until she already was with Onua. So I believe that he meant he brought her to Numair as a teacher. You'll see that in this chapter._

_Blackandwhiteroses: Thanks_

_Purple Eyed Cat: Sarra's last name was listed in RotG._

_Alanna Cooper: There were things that took place that should have shocked him unless he met her before Daine awoke. Likewise, if he had not already met Weiryn, Sarra would have introduced him. She's that kind of a lady._

_Narm's Briton 44: She seemed more stern with Daine to me. She did say something about all the fighting but she was otherwise friendly. My dad is that way. He will always be kind to strangers and rough on his own. We don't get much of a glimpse into her personality. There is a brief section in RotG and an even briefer section in TC. But I compiled it from those._

_Hoshi-ko88: Thanks!_

_Bibliopheliac: Wait until you see Queenclaw. I had fun with this chapter._

_Confused Knight: Thanks._

_Kelsey: Togetherness is coming, but is several chapters away at this point._

_Bitterosemary: Thank you so much. The description is actually in RotG, though it is brief. In other books, Daine says her ma was pretty and many men liked to be near her. So I compiled her from that. I actually thought that thing about her age and the fact that she was blond was intentional psychological stuff on TP's part. She goes out of her way to say that Numair's type is usually a buxom blond around 30 and then there's Daine's mom who had her probably at 16 or 17 and died 13 years later. She is 29 or 30 forever. In TC I thought that had to be weird because that's around 10 years later and Sarra would not have aged. She would look nearly the same age as her daughter at Sarralyn's naming day._

_Goldeneyedwildmage: That's actually close. Daine describes her mother as scattered and you get the impression that Daine was more motherly than her own mother ever was. But then Sarra has changed in her role as a goddess and she gained some wisdom. She's still a little scattered and a little flirtatious. Plus, she probably wants to know exactly what her daughter sees in him. You will love my take on the map thing. But we're not there yet._

_Sarramaks: I'm glad you liked it. THIS is my favorite chapter so far. I had a lot of fun with Queenclaw_

_**Chapter 5 – Gods and Goddesses**_

When Numair awoke again, he felt a little better. There was less pain. He looked around the room where he was sleeping. It still looked as it had when he spoke to Sarra Beneksri, which meant that she was not a dream. _Daine's mother._ The whole idea was a little shocking. When Numair met Daine, it was just after her mother had died in a raider attack. Daine was still grieving. She had been left completely alone in the world except for Cloud, her mountain pony.

Daine had gone nearly mad with grief, slipping fully into her wild magic and traveling with a pack of wolves to avenge her family's deaths. She had struggled to find her humanity after that, and fled the village she'd been raised in because the people there were hunting her like she was a rabid beast. She had then hired on to work with Onua Chamtong to deliver ponies purchased at Cria, and Numair met her on that trip to Corus. It was disturbing to think that through all her struggles, her mother had been petitioning to live as a goddess in the Realms of the Gods with Weiryn. There was an angry part of him that wondered if either had cared what happened to Daine in those months. The girl could have died in a hundred painful ways while her mother was rekindling a romance with Weiryn. And it seemed the only thing Weiryn had done to try to look out for his daughter, was ask the badger to look in on her once in a while.

Bright light flared and the badger appeared on the foot of the bed, almost as if he had been summoned. _–You look a little better- _the badger said dryly in mindspeak. Numair couldn't help but smile. While he would reserve judgment for whether or not he liked Weiryn, the badger had earned his respect by returning Daine from death in Carthak.

"Badger! It is good to see you," Numair said sincerely. "I understand we have you to thank for the destruction of the skinners?"

The badger sneezed (his version of a laugh). _–You get right to the point.-_

Numair chuckled. "I suppose. I wondered – how did you do it, what form…"

The badger sneezed again. _–Curious as Queenclaw. I turned them into ice. They melted.-_

Numair nodded. "Brilliant. I should have tried that. I did try transfiguring them into water but.." He didn't get a chance to ask who or what Queenclaw was.

_-That's where I got the idea. And no, I do not know where they come from. Nobody I have talked to has ever seen the like.-_

Numair found that thought very alarming. If a god did not know their origin, then something very bad was afoot. He knew Ozorne was creative, but he preferred to think that skinners were not something he could come up with on his own. If that were the case, he could unleash them throughout Tortall and destroy the kingdom very quickly and effectively, along with everyone in it that Numair cared about. Absent-mindedly, he scratched the badger behind the ears.

The badger sneezed yet again. _–I never imagined when I brought you and my kit together that she would teach you as much as you would teach her.-_

Completely taken aback, Numair said, "Brought us together? Daine found me when I was in hawk form and had been drugged by a traitor. She rescued me."

The badger shook his head in such a human fashion that Numair nearly forgot he was speaking to an animal. _–Two-leggers! You always see things so directly. She needed someone to help guide her and Weiryn asked me to look after her. Mynos told me about you and a path that could lead to your death. I told Daine how to find animals with her magic so that she could choose to use it to hunt for you. Two-leggers always have free will. But you both behaved the way I hoped and you became her teacher. I told Daine once that I brought her to you and that she should trust my judgment. Did she never tell you that?-_

Numair was amazed. Through all of the things he knew of gods and how they helped or didn't help people, it had never occurred to him that Daine's presence there had been anything but a lucky coincidence. "Then I should thank you," he said softly. He bowed his head from his sitting position.

The badger sneezed yet again and it almost made Numair laugh. _–You need not thank me, mortal. You have been good to my kit. She would have died this year without you while I was listening to the great gods fight about Uusoae. If Weiryn gets ornery, you remind him.—_

Numair didn't know what to say to that, so he said nothing. He just nodded.

Numair noticed a pile of folded clothing on a chair by the bed. He picked them up and looked them over. They appeared to be his size although he was sure they were not his.

_-Your clothing was mostly destroyed in the passage- _ the badger explained without being prompted. _–Sarra provided those for you.-_

"That was thoughtful of her," he said. He looked to the badger for a moment. "Why am I so weak? I feel I have slept sufficiently to recover from the draining and yet.."

The badger sneezed again. Numair was not sure what might have amused the creature this time. _–Travel between the realms can be taxing for mortals. You don't belong here.-_

"That much I knew. Still, I am aware the skinners would have killed me. I had thought as much directly before Sarra and Weiryn grabbed Daine. I had intended to urge her to fly free."

_-As if my kit would leave you to die.-_ the badger grumbled.

It was like being slapped. In the panic of the moment, he had not realized that she would not have listened to him. He could have done nothing to convince her. They would both be dead now if it were not for the intervention of her parents. And like an epiphany, he realized why Daine had fled him in Corus in the spring.

Daine had not been apprised of the plan for her rescue when she fell in the displacement chasm. She was not prepared for Numair to absorb elemental magic (which made him look frightening) and she did not know why he needed her help to anchor the window that transported her and the others home. For that reason, she did not know how injured he would be before he moved the displacement and she did not know why he chose to make that move from underground. She did not know that it would leave him buried 15 feet below the surface in solidly packed loam. She had been left out of everything and forced to watch and wonder if he'd survive it. He began to dress hurriedly, barely stopping to beg the badger's pardon.

Sarra knocked at the door just as he was buttoning the collar to his shirt. He was feeling light headed again, but was determined to see Daine, so he opened the door pretending nothing was wrong. Of course, she wasn't fooled.

"You are not well yet, Master Salmalin," she said.

"Please, call me Numair," he tried to distract her.

"Fine, then you are not well, Numair. If you won't lie down you should sit and stay sat."

"I was hoping to see Daine."

She smiled, her dimple crinkling. "Alright, but give me a few moments to make sure she's awake and descent." Then she turned to the badger. "Weiryn was looking for you." Light bloomed and the badger disappeared without a word.

Numair agreed grudgingly to wait to visit Daine for a few moments. Sarra led him to a sitting room with numerous antlers displayed on the wall. She pointed to a chair and motioned for him to sit down. She made a pinching motion and the wall pulled out and rearranged itself to make a small end table. She placed a glass of water on it while his mouth hung open. Then Sarra entered another room and closed the door behind her.

Numair sat there in silence for a moment, lost in his own thoughts. A fluffy orange and white cat came in and hopped onto the arm of the chair. He began to pet the cat without much thought to what he was doing and she purred and pressed her nose against his arm as if she were really enjoying herself. He picked up the glass of water and took a drink. Then the cat nearly startled the daylights out of him by speaking into his mind –_You're not so bad. I'd say you're nice for a mortal.-_

He coughed, having inhaled the mouthful of water instead of drinking it properly. When he could finally talk he choked, "Are you – are you god too?"

She began to wash a paw. _–Couldn't you tell? Don't I look ethereal?-_

His first thought was that ethereal seemed like a big word for a cat. Then he realized how silly the whole pondering was. Unlike Daine, he'd never heard a cat speak. For all he knew, their vocabularies were enormous. Then, of course, this one was a god. It was enough to make his head ache again. "I have never experienced anything like this realm."

_-That's why many refer to it as divine. Scratch my head.-_ It was not a request but an order. He complied. _–Ahh, that's the spot.-_

He tried not to laugh but couldn't help it. "I'm sorry. I have never heard a cat speak before. But I always thought this is what – well…." He didn't want to insult a god. It was a common joke in the mortal world that cats could be bossy.

_-I don't mind. I am what I am. I like things a certain way. You would do well to allow yourself a little more pleasure and a little less introspection. When was the last time someone made you purr?-_

Numair blushed a little. "I don't purr."

_-Are you sure?- _she asked, switching her tail at him. _–My understanding of two-leggers is that they DO purr when they are petted by another two-legger.-_ Now he blushed a lot. The cat turned and fixed her amber eyes on him. _–Am I mistaken?-_

He sputtered. "We don't purr like you do. We don't make that sound. We make sounds when we're enjoying ourselves but that can be a lot of things. Just so you know, this is a strange conversation, and definitely not one I thought I'd ever have with a cat or a god for that matter."

"It better not be something you've discussed with my daughter either," a male voice growled. Numair had not heard him come into the room. He looked up to see Weiryn, the god of the hunt, and though he had seen pictures, he was not prepared for the strangeness of this man. He was medium height for a man with curly chestnut colored hair and emerald eyes. A large set of antlers was mounted firmly on top of his head and he wore only a loin-cloth, revealing tanned skin with visible streaks of olive. He was very muscular. _Daine's father_.

"No sir," Numair answered nervously trying to think of text from a book simultaneously so that he would not think something that would get him speared. He stood and bowed his head humbly. "I am very honored to meet you, Weiryn."

"Hmmph." Weiryn growled. "Queenclaw, you aren't very particular who you snuggle up to are you?"

The cat stretched in the sultry way only a feline can do and pushed her head against Numair's hand. _–I like a gentle touch.- _she sassed. Numair wanted to sink into the wall.

Light bloomed and the badger appeared. He looked up at Numair, who was starting to feel very dizzy. _–Sit! –_ the badger ordered Numair, who complied promptly. –_Sarra won't like to find you tiring yourself.- _Then the badger turned on Weiryn. _–And Sarra won't like to find you insulting her house guests.-_

"It's my house too," Weiryn simpered, but backed off.

_-Sure it is- _Queenclaw responded sarcastically, and strolled onto Numair's lap. He looked up to see if Weiryn would react to that but apparently Queenclaw had only said it in his mind.

Weiryn began to look in rooms, returning several times to the room that Numair was in. Numair waited silently and nervously. Finally Weiryn called, "Sarra?"

"In here, my love. She's awake," came Sarra's voice from the other room.

Weiryn crossed and entered the room, leaving the door partially opened. Numair thought about rising to follow, but the cat stopped him. _–He has yet to introduce himself to his daughter. You should give them a few moments. And you need to wipe all thoughts about petting HER from your mind before you go any where near him if you want to live through the night. _Numair turned crimson.

The badger sneezed repeatedly. That apparently had been stated in both their minds. Thoughts of Daine were nearly unconscious and ran through his mind constantly. "I think that I am doomed," Numair voiced quietly.

_-Nonesense.- _said the badger. _–Think about text while you talk, like you did before.-_

_-Stick to subjects that can't be taken wrong, like your war-_ Queenclaw added.

_-And remember he's the god of the hunt, not the god of intuition- _the badger finished. Numair couldn't help but laugh at that, albeit nervously.

Queenclaw put her paws up on Numair's shoulder and licked the side of his face. He saw light sparkle. _–That will help. But if you get overemotional he will hear your thoughts.-_

"Thank you," Numair said.

-

-

okay, respond


	6. Chapter 6 The Lights of Uusoae

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it belongs to Tamora Pierce.**

_**A/**N: The great thing about writing fanfiction is that you get to share your perceptions of characters and events. All of us read things into the lines of a story and very often they are different. I see Weiryn as a man's man, who wouldn't be to easy to welcome a bookworm mage who has his daughter's affections. Remember that Weiryn and Sarra can read Daine's emotions and thoughts too. I was surprised by how many thought I made him too gruff. He does soften a little later, but it's always darkest before the dawn._

_The Whisper: I'm so glad you like it. Most people liked Sarra, but aren't happy with my version of Weiryn. In my mind he's wolfish and as we all know, wolves are both incredibly frighting and wonderfully loyal. It's good to know you see his intentions and not just the gruff exterior. I thank you._

_Goldeneyedwildmage: Thanks. I love Queenclaw and you will see a bit more of her before they leave Weiryn and Sarra's house._

_Sunfish Sailor: Welcome back. Thank you so much for the compliments and encouragement. I sure hope I can get published._

_Blackandwhiteroses: I've had cats like her. If my current cat could speak though, she'd spend a lot of time screaming in fright. She's afraid of everything._

_Lady Araceli: Thanks!_

_1reallyblue1: Sorry. I see him as Wolfish. Wolves are both incredibly frightening and very, very loyal._

_Magicalmoony: Numair was 30 in RotG and just barely. He is 14 years older than Daine, not 24 years older._

_Narms Briton 44: We both have dirty minds – it was a euphemism._

_Starlit Emerald-Eyed Empress: The reference to height is below. And thanks!_

_Bibliopheliac: Thanks. I love Queenclaw. Weiryn is protective father who isn't ready for his daughter to have another man in her life when he barely knows her. The other Gods see the truth. They are far too old to take his crap. That's how I see it anyway._

_Nativewildmage: Glad you liked it._

_Bitterosemary: No fair smelling my plot before it comes. Yes, when she returns from the Taurus attack, Numair, Rikash and Weiryn are talking outside. She gets dressed and comes back out and Numair and Weiryn are no longer there. Dun, dun, dun. You'll see._

_Purple Eyed Cat: Thanks._

_Hoshi-Ko88: Thanks._

_Sarramaks: You will see more of Queenclaw. She's a little fond of Numair because he will pet her. As you know, cats tend to lay claim to anyone who will fuss over them._

_Kit49: Thanks._

_**Chapter 6 – the Lights of Uusoae**_

Numair made his way to the bedroom door to see Daine. He took a deep breath and tried to remember some passages from the Power Codex, a complicated and amazing book on spells he had been given by his friend and former teacher Lindhall Reed. Surely, if Weiryn picked up on thoughts from that text, he would be so bored or confused he wouldn't care to listen in further. Numair tended to think of it in strange sections of passage because it was written in an ancient language that he had to translate in his head in order to read. The mental process made him feel even more exhausted then he already did. But he wanted so desperately to see for himself that Daine was alright without becoming Weiryn's new archery target.

As he approached the door, he heard the tail end of a conversation. Sarra said, "..meant to be killed by bandits!"

"Daine?" he said as he came to the door. _Talk about things from the war_, he reminded himself. "You know that the badger destroyed the Skinners, yes?"

"Ma told me. You don't look so good," she responded, looking worried. _Gods! She looks pale. _But even drained of color, she still was so captivating.

Numair was afraid Weiryn would read him, so he thought more about the text before he spoke and prayed he wouldn't mix up words and sound like an idiot. He smiled nervously. "I'll survive. Are _you _all right?" It was what he had really come for – to hear from her own lips that she was healing.

"I hurt a little." She looked from Numair to Weiryn and back again as if she were comparing their heights. Numair was actually quite a bit taller, although Weiryn's antlers extended about an inch over Numair's head. From his lofty perspective, Numair could see that they did sprout smoothly out of Weiryn's head and that the curly hair directly around them looked stiff, more like deer or elk fur than hair. For a moment it struck him as rather odd that Weiryn might hang antlers as trophies in his home, when he sported his own pair.

Numair felt a sudden surge of nauseau. He tried to smile anyway and said, "I am informed that passage between the realms has an adverse affect on mortals." He clung to the doorframe to keep himself upright. The extra effort to mask his thoughts was tiring him fast.

The badger picked that moment to transport himself into the room. Numair watched him waddle over to Daine. She greeted, "Hullo. So we've you to thank for handling those Skinners?"

"You wouldn't rest until you knew they were dealt with," he responded in what could only be described as an actual voice. It took Numair by surprise. He had clearly heard the sound with his ears rather than just his head. If it took Daine by surprise, she didn't show it. The badger god rose to plant his forepaws on her covers. She scratched him behind his ears.

Numair felt someone's gaze and turned to see Sarra eyeing him curiously. He wondered if she had noticed that his thoughts were masked. She frowned, "You are supposed to sit, and stay sat. For the second time, she made a tugging gesture at the room and it reshaped itself, buckling and twisting to form a chair. "Down, Master Salmalin!" she ordered. She had apparently reverted back to the former way of addressing him. He complied primarily because he was feeling very dizzy at that moment.

He looked up to see Daine's shocked expression. "But – Ma, you can't – You never –"

"Things are different here," the badger explained, again in an audible but gruff voice. "In the Divine Realms, we gods can shape our surroundings to suit ourselves."

"Sometimes," added Weiryn. Numair realized the brusque man had softened in the presence of his mate and daughter. _Great, he's saving all his animosity for me._ He chided himself. It was probably just his imagination.

"Wonderful," Daine said, her voice quavering a bit. "Tell me – how did we come here? The last thing I remember is the Skinners." Numair thought again about the realization that she wouldn't have left him to die even though she could have saved herself. His brow furrowed with concern.

Weiryn and Sarra traded glances. "You were in danger of your life, against a foe you could not fight," Weiryn told her. "We had meant to bring you only, but this – _man"_ he openly glared at Numair – "refused to let go of you. We were forced to bring him as well." Numair slumped a little. _His enmity is aimed at me. It's not my imagination._

"I just thank the Goddess that you met the Skinners on one of the great holidays, when we _could_ pull you through to us," Daine's mother added. "Otherwise you would have been killed. It fair troubles me that no one we've asked as ever heard of those creatures."

Light bloomed through the curtains on a window that filled one of the walls, growing steadily more brilliant, then fading abruptly. "Oh, dear," remarked Sarra as Weiryn drew the drapes open. "They're still at it."

It looked like some type of flash explosion and Numair stood quickly, ready to protect Daine from danger. "What's going on?" he asked and then chided himself for nearly letting his emotions escape him and not realizing that in the presence of three gods, he probably was the least powerful in the room. That was a position he was not accustomed to.

"Will you _sit_?" cried Sarra. "Men! You're so stubborn!" Numair sat quickly, this time on the bed. He noted with amusement that the chair sank back into the wall almost is if it were sulking.

Daine stared at the view and Numair turned to look too, although he peaked at Daine out of the corner of his eye. She looked awed. When he turned his attention back toward the window, he saw a clearing with a lazy stream rolling through. Behind it stood a thick wood, the type which he would imagine Weiryn would love to hunt in. The sky above was filled with a vacillating spectrum of light. Undulating colors of mint, orange, yellow and gray fire shimmered and coursed, like a mage fight between four powerful mages.

"What is it," Dain whispered nervously. Numair took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Then he looked up to see if anyone had noticed. Weiryn was looking out the window and not at them. "I feel that it means something bad, but it's so beautiful…"

"It means that Uusoae, the Queen of Chaos, is fighting the Great Gods," said the badger. "That light is her magic and her soldiers, as they attack the barriers between our realm and hers."

"She has been at it since Midwinter." Weiryn put an arm around Sarra. "Normally the lights that burn in our sky reflect your mortal wars, but this is far more important."

"Thanks ever so," muttered Numair. He was rewarded by a grin from Daine.

Sarra looked at her daughter and said reproachfully, "Speaking of war, I never raised _you _to be always fighting and killing. That's not woman's work." _Woman's work – that'ss a subject nearly guaranteed to rile Daine's temper_, he thought

"It's needful, Ma. _You _taught me a woman has to know how to defend herself."

"I never!" gasped Sarra, indignant.

"You taught me when you were murdered in your own house," Daine said quietly. Numair smiled at her proudly and patted her ankle. He saw Sarra turn into Weiryn's hold, leaning on his chest. She shuddered slightly as if she were crying silently.

Softly, Numair answered, saving Daine from causing her mother further angst. "Sarra, our war in Tortall may seem unimportant to the gods, but not to us. Daine and I must return to it. They need every fighter and every mage." But the moment the words were out, he realized that Daine might want to stay here. The thought of losing her made him ache but … he looked up at Sarra and Weiryn, realizing it was not safe to think about this now.

But then he saw Daine nod in agreement. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, as if she were very dizzy. He looked at her with concern. Then he heard Sarra say, "We'll talk of that later. You both need to drink a posset, then sleep again. It will be a few days before the effects of our passage are over." She went to the hearth and ladled something from a pot into a pair of cups. One she gave to Daine and the other to Numair. "Drink," she ordered.

Numair smiled once more at Daine, smelling the mix of familiar healing herbs, though the odor was intense. He had never smelled goldenseal once it was mixed with other herbs before. He gulped it down and Daine followed suit. It was bitter and unpleasant.

"Back to bed, sir mage," order Sarra.

"Good night, Daine," Numair said. The badger echoed him.

"G'night," she murmured, eyes drooping. "Oh – I forgot. G'night – Da," she added to her father.

As Numair walked slowly back to his room, he could hear Weiryn respond indistinctly.

He crawled back into bed, realizing somehow that the reason the bed was long enough was because either Weiryn or Sarra had stretched it be so. He heard a soft thump and felt the weight of an animal on his bed. Queenclaw had come to take a nap. She began to bathe herself near his elbow. He thought, as own eyes grew heavy, that this must be a little like what Daine felt like when she went to bed and numerous talking friends joined her one by one.

"Goodnight Queenclaw," he said drowsily.

_-- Goodnight, Mortal. Don't snore. --_

"Yes, ma'am."

-

-

Thanks for reading. Please respond.


	7. Chapter 7 Measure of a Man

_**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it belongs to Tamora Pierce.**_

_A/N: This is a long chapter. But I had a lot say._

_Narms Briton 44: As you will see when you read this chapter, you were exactly right about what Weiryn was doing._

_Confused Knight: Oh, now I feel so bad. I'm not sure where Faithful went to. He is not in the Immortals series at all and I'm not sure if he became a god or what. If I weren't sticking so close to cannon I would put him in just for you, but I am. Sorry._

_Lady Araceli: More cat-tude in here too. Queenclaw is fun._

_Alanna Cooper: Thanks so much._

_Goldeneyedwildmage: More Queenclaw and a little more on Weiryn in this chapter._

_Nativewildmage: Apparently we've all encountered a cat like this. Thanks for the compliments._

_Bitterosemary: He's a god and has lived a long, long time. And yet he can still be insecure. I love characters that deep. I think you'll like the section in this on Jon too. It's a glimpse of him you don't usually see in fanfiction. I actually cried when I wrote it, which probably indicates I'm way too wrapped up into my stories._

_Purple Eyed Cat: It's those little touches that makes us all love Numair so. Thanks for the compliments._

_Hoshi Ko88: Meowwww!_

_Sarramaks: Thanks. More Weiryn and Queenclaw here too. I will review the last chapter of your story soon. While I was reviewing today something weird happened to the site and I haven't gotten back on. So when you see this posted, I will probably be reading your last posted chapter too._

**_Chapter 7 – Measure of a Man_**

Numair dreamed fitfully throughout the night – the kind of vivid dreams that one would expect if they had swallowed dreamrose, though he had not. He observed a battle council in Corus, overseen by the queen (unusual given the conservative opinion of her), and he watched Alanna face more spidrens than anyone should ever see together in a lifetime. Despite the odds, Alanna and her crew of exhausted looking knights and riders triumphed with a few disheartening losses. But the dream that proceded his consciousness left him anxious to find a way to contact the other realm.

Jon sat in a Lord Imrah's study in the castle at Port Legann. He was reviewing a list of those killed in various battles. It went on for page after page and Jon looked gray with despair. Never before had Numair seen the king look less than confident. He usually displayed an air of being above it all. Though he was properly remorseful at news of death, it was only as much as was appropriate and no more or less. There was a knock at the door and Jon composed himself. A mage entered the room.

"Sire, the gelding has been returned to the stables. The scouts found their belongings, including this crossbow," the mage held up Daine's crossbow. It had been new at midwinter. Now it was mangled and useless. Jon took it in his hands and examined it, nodding slowly.

"Did your group scry as I requested?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," the mage replied. "However, like you, we did not find a trace of them."

"And the scouts and mages have also not seen any further sign of the Skinners?"

"Correct, Your Grace."

"Thank you, Corleth."

"I wish it were good news, Sire. The war will be much harder without the wildmage and black robe mage."

Jon closed his eyes for a moment. "Their names were Veralidaine Sarrasri and Numair Salmalin," he said a little harshly. "Please have the clerk add them to roles of the lost on your way out." He handed the sheets of parchment he had been reviewing to the mage, clearly dismissing him.

When the mage exited, Jon locked the door. He turned to the fire and sat down, face in his hands. Numair realized after a moment that he was weeping, something in all their years of friendship, he had never seen Jonathan do. After a while Jon whispered a prayer, "Great Mother Goddess, how many more must I send to their deaths? How many more? Help us please. Guide us out of the damnable war." The weeping turned to wracking sobs that shook the poor man. His arms were crossed as if trying to fend of grief in a self-embrace. "Daine, Numair," he whispered again, hoarsely, "Please forgive me. You saved us, but the price was too high, far too high."

For a moment more Jon cried in solitude, sorrow pouring from him like torrential rain. And then there was another knock at the door. He wiped his eyes and blew his nose. He crossed to the water basin and splashed water on his face, wiping away all signs of his emotional outpour. He composed himself and opened the door, majestic façade back in place.

Raoul of Goldenlake stood there with paperwork in hand and Jon began again to attend to the matters of running his kingdom, stuffing his humanity back where it must be kept to lend confidence to his people.

Numair sat up in his bed, sunlight streaming through the window. He had not given much thought to the struggles Jon faced everyday as King. And Numair knew that Jon wasn't just crying for the loss of his friends, but for all of those names that went on page after page. To a king with no conscience, the losses might just be names on parchment. Ozorne would have been that way. But to Jonathan, war was a personal struggle where a leader made decisions that cost lives. Jon was suffering the weight of those losses and he was suffering alone. At this moment, Numair felt more compassion for his friend than he ever had, and he knew he had to find a way back _now_.

He dressed and cleaned his teeth and brushed his hair. He wanted a bath and he desperately needed to shave, but though what he had needed for other hygienic chores had been provided, a place to bathe and a razor had not.

Light bloomed in his room and the strangest creature he had ever encountered waddled forward. It looked up at Numair through deep set, expressive eyes. It had a duck's bill and a tail shaped like that of a beaver, though it looked nothing like either one. The creature was covered in dense brown fur that might actually repel water. "G'day," the creature answered in an audible voice much like the badger's. "You must be Master Salmalin."

Numair nodded and then realized that like every creature he had encountered in this realm so far, this was a god. "Numair Salmalin, at your service," Numair said, bowing to the god with a flourish. The creature's eyes twinkled.

"I am Broad Foot, the male god of duckmoles, pleased to meet ya'." There was a unique accent to his voice – if voice was an accurate term. "I was sent to tell you that food was ready in the garden if you're hungry. Sarra heard you stirring about."

Numair scratched his new beard absently. It was much longer than one would expect for a day or two. "Have you any idea how long we've been here?"

"Four days," Broad Foot answered.

"And where is the garden?" he asked next. Broad Foot gave him directions. "One more thing, is Weiryn there currently?"

"Yes," Broad Foot answered, an almost quizzical look passing through his dark eyes.

"Mental preparation," Numair answered. The creature snorted and disappeared in a puff of sparkling white light.

The small walled garden was another feature that seemed consistent with Sarra's personality rather than Weiryn's. It featured a table, benches and an outdoor hearth, set on open grass. Weiryn sat at one end of the table, adding fletching to arrows. Sarra was standing at the other end of the table, rolling what appeared to be pie crust with a large wooden cylinder. Queenclaw, all dignity forgotten, was chasing a small yellow ball around by the hearth. Broad Foot was now seated to Weiryn's left, with his webbed front feet perched on the edge of the table.

"Good morning, Sarra, Weiryn, Queenclaw," Numair said politely trying to keep his mind filled with text. Sarra looked up and smiled in a friendly manner. Weiryn grunted a half greeting.

"There's porridge. I thought it would go down best." Sarra said.

"Thank you," he answered nervously thinking that with his poor traveler's stomach, porridge would be a very good choice. Sarra ushered him to the table and he sat down next to Broad Foot. Sarra then placed a bowl of porridge before him.

Numair looked up at Weiryn and said, "I was wondering if we might discuss our return to the mortal realms?"

Weiryn glared, "We shall not discuss any such thing until Daine is recovered." Weiryn began to trim fletching violently. Numair chided himself. He had obviously added to Weiryn's animosity.

There was a long silence as he tried to eat the porridge. It was very flavorful, a little too much so. Next to him Broad Foot began to mash a piece of dried fruit with his bill. "You have to be the most unusual creature I have ever encountered," he said to Broad Foot. "You look mammalian, is that correct."

"Yes, but my people also lay eggs," Broad Foot answered.

Awed, Numair tried to think if he had ever read of any creature that matched this description. "I gave Daine a book on mammals of the world and we studied it in depth together. In addition, I have read many books on mammals. Why have I never encountered anything about you before?"

Weiryn snorted, but continued to work with the fletching, never looking up at Numair. Broad Foot turned to look at the hunt god with clear amusement, then turned back and answered, "There are no two-leggers where my people reside. To you it is the other side of the world."

Numair contemplated this for a moment, scratching his beard again. He preferred to be clean shaven. "Are there other amniote-mammals that you are aware of?"

"He's not a university professor," Weiryn said irritably.

Queenclaw strolled over and leaped gracefully up to the chair on the other side of Weiryn. "He asked if there were any other animals that suckle their young, but also lay eggs, as you very well know. If he starts simplifying unnecessarily, then you'll accuse him of talking down to you," she told him saucily.

Numair sighed to himself. This was not ingratiating him to Daine's father.

Broadfoot decided to answer the question. "Yes -- a spiny anteater. We live in the same region."

Numair looked up and saw Sarra glance nervously at her lover. He thought it was a good sign that he should tread lightly. But Queenclaw had other ideas. The cat turned to Numair and said, "Eat, before it's completely cold." He took a mouthful of porridge and then nearly spit it out when the cat turned her amber eyes on Weiryn and said, "Your daughter is quite fond of that mage. You might consider getting to know him before you growl so."

Numair shot Queenclaw a pleading look.

"Mage," Weiryn said gruffly, "Can you shoot a bow?"

"Yes, but I'm a poor shot," he answered honestly.

"You're worse than poor," the god snorted. He waived his hand and a scene appeared in miniature. Daine was standing behind Numair on an overturned trough, obviously attempting to teach him archery. He raised the bow, arrow knocked, and then she touched his arm. He jerked and sent the arrow flying askew. Numair could remember that day. It was in October, before he met the Goddess. Watching it from that position, he could see that he was responding nervously to Daine's touch like someone highly infatuated might do. He was amazed that everyone who was present that day did not know his feelings for Daine simply from his behavior, but it had taken _him_ nearly another two months to recognize it for himself.

Numair realized his mouth was hanging open. He looked at Weiryn and wondered exactly how he didn't know his feelings for Daine – but then maybe that was the problem.

"That's fair rude," Sarra spoke up. "He said he was no good. You shouldn't rub it in."

But Weiryn wasn't done. "How can you protect my daughter when you can't even use a bow?"

"Sir, I'm a mage. While some young boys spent hours practicing against targets, I had my head buried in books to perfect the craft I was born for. I protect Daine with magic. And she's a better shot than most men I know anyway." Queenclaw purred loudly. Numair studied Weiryn for a moment. "But I don't need to tell you that. You already know. You were watching us fight the skinners. You've watched off and on a lot, haven't you? Are you trying to get the measure of me?" For some reason that Numair couldn't imagine, Sarra beamed at him.

But Weiryn glared at Numair and rose without speaking. He picked up his arrows and strolled over to Sarra, then kissed her cheek. "I'm going hunting," he said.

"Good luck, my love," she said ritually. Weiryn strode out of the garden.

"Are you taking bets on how long I'll live?" Numair asked quietly.

Queenclaw was clearly amused as was Broad Foot. Sarra focused on her pie in silence for a moment. "You were right, you know. He wants to rile you – see what you're made of."

"Flesh and bone, like most of his moving targets," Numair answered glumly causing a round of laughter from the gods.

Light flared and Queenclaw disappeared from the chair she had been on and reappeared in his lap. "You have the respect of his daughter and he has little in common with you," the cat says. "He's nervous." She turned twice in his lap before settling herself comfortably. "You'll feel better if you pet me," she said – another command. He complied.

"Daine likes everyone. She's got a very loving nature. I'm sure once she's used to the idea she will love him," Numair said.

Sarra beamed again. "That's what I tried to tell him."


	8. Chapter 8 Revelations

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it belongs to Tamora Pierce.**

_A/N: Confused Knight had asked me to include a section on Faithful and I mentioned that I didn't think Faithful was in the Immortals. That was incorrect. Purple Eyed Cat reminded me where and I looked it up. Faithful is in the end when Daine meets the Goddess and Mytros and all. Unfortunately I still can't put him in this story because Numair never saw him. I regret that. Faithful was cool and he didn't have exactly the same personality as Queenclaw. _

_There will also be an interesting twist in this plot that did come from my own head. You'll be able to see that I planned it for some time and it will slide nicely into the story line. Numair and Weiryn never totally get along. There's a comment on the first bridge when the two animal gods tell them they cannot take their packs because Weiryn and Sarra connected those things to them. Numair says, "I didn't know Weiryn cared." I think it highlights the relationship they have – one of mutual toleration._

_Sunfish Sailor: Thank you so much. Not many really commented on Jon from the last chapter. When I wrote that I cried. I had spent so much time trying to get my head in the right place to make it believable that by the time I was there, I felt like I'd lost someone. Also, you'll see some more into the weird relationship with Weiryn coming up. _

_Narms Briton 44: Thanks so much._

_Native Wild Mage: You are correct about Faithful. It was small and though I've read the book several times, I apparently looked right over the top of it repeatedly. I think that happens when you read them out of order. Thanks anyway._

_Kit49: I'm glad you like that, because before I'm done I will connect them all. A major thing from the first chapter of Enemies is about to show up. There's also mention of things from Two Weeks in Carthak in this and the last chapter._

_Bitterosemary: Thanks again. This was so nice to hear. Not many commented on Jon and I was beginning to think that I should have split the chapter in two. Thank you for making me feel confident again._

_Purple Eyed Cat: You are so right. I completely forgot_

_Alanna Cooper: Thanks._

_Sarramaks: As much as I would like to take credit for making Broad Foot sound Aussie, you should know he greets Daine with "g'day" in the book. But thanks anyway._

_Blackandwhiteroses: Wow, if your dad is like Weiryn, then you're a half-goddess. That should make you feel beautiful._

_**Chapter 8 - Revelations**_

Numair finished his porridge, but it was a struggle. It was far too rich and left him feeling a little nauseous. However, he felt that Sarra might have been insulted if he didn't make an attempt. He had hoped Daine might wake up and join him, but it didn't happen.

Sarra gathered apples for her pie and Numair entertained her a little by juggling a few of them. Then a patch of silver light bloomed and the badger appeared.

"I dropped by to see how my kit was doing," he said.

"She's still sleeping," Sarra said. "We're hoping she'll wake soon. And Weiryn's out hunting."

"I know," the badger said. "I talked to him already."

"Badger, I was wondering if I might talk to you privately at some point. Would that be possible?"

The badger merely nodded. He trotted back into the house and Numair followed until they entered a closed door that he had not noticed before. It seemed to be a study with numerous books and a large empty desk. It did not seem like a room that either Sarra or Weiryn would have in the house.

He wandered around the room staring at book after book on magic with his mouth hanging open. It looked like his own library. "Are we still in Weiryn's house?" he asked.

"Yes," the badger answered. He sneezed in amusement. "Now you needed to talk?"

"I was wondering – well, Weiryn seems to be sizing me up and –" he paused to collect his thoughts. "You told Daine that her father had asked you to look after her when you first met her three years ago. Consequently I think you are Weiryn's friend more than Sarra's. Is that a correct assumption?"

"Yes," the badger said. His black eyes twinkled.

Numair tugged at his long nose a moment and scratched his beard again. "I was wondering if -- he's Daine's father and I don't want to always be the target of his acrimony."

The badger sneezed three times consecutively and stared up at the mage. "You irritate him for a number of reasons outside of your control."

Numair sighed heavily. He looked around the room again longing to select a book and bury himself in it for awhile. Whoever used these tomes would be very knowledgeable about mortal magic. It did not seem like an interest that would draw Weiryn, but then Weiryn was a god and was probably very, very old. "When I first met you, I remember that you told me that my grasp of wild magic was usually very good. You knew a lot about me and you knew a great deal about mortal wild magic. Would I be correct in assuming that Weiryn knew as much about wild magic as yourself?"

"Of course," the badger said.

"Then why did he never tell Sarra so that she could teach Daine about her magic? Daine said Sarra tested her and tested her for Gift. She also said that Sarra always behaved as if Daine's Da were right around the corner which – obviously Weiryn _was_ always there. I'm guessing that means that Sarra saw Weiryn frequently in Daine's first twelve years. He didn't tell Sarra about wild magic and he didn't try to direct Daine's magical training, or even introduce himself in all of that time. Certainly Daine was old enough to understand and keep the secret by age eight. So I don't understand his distance. Can you tell me why?"

The badger studied him for a moment as if coming to a conclusion. "Weiryn has always maintained a distance from his children."

"Children?" Numair had not expected that.

The badger sneezed. "Mortals always tend to think of things in terms of their own understanding of time. We do not. Weiryn has sired six children in the mortal world over the years. Daine is currently the only living one. And her mother, Sarra, is the only woman he ever loved enough to bring into this realm."

"Did the others possess wild magic too?"

"No, Daine is the only one. The others had varying degrees of gift. All were very good with a bow, save one. That one had very, very strong Gift, like yours."

"Then why would he question my ability to protect Daine? If he had a child with as much gift as I possess, he would surely know what I'm capable of."

"Yes, he knows. But that son was not a good man. His death was recent and though he is in the black god's realm, he is not in a welcome part and he is not free to visit. I'm not sure if Weiryn _would_ visit him."

"Somehow I'm a reminder?"

"More than you could know. You are very opposite to that son. He did not think of consequences and he hurt the innocent repeatedly. Weiryn did not like my trust in your nature. We argued about it. And ultimately you earned the type of respect from his daughter that he longed for."

"I'm not her father and that's the last thing I want to be."

The badger sneezed. "Weiryn wants to protect her."

"Maybe now. Where was he when she was orphaned and needed someone? Don't get me wrong, Badger, he sent you and I have the highest respect for you. I'll even go so far as to suggest that sending you was the best choice in the long run. But in my mind a father should have wanted that duty himself. I won't leave Kit to someone else's protection if I have a choice and I don't understand why he has."

"He cannot leave for a hundred years now. It was part of agreement when he petitioned to make Sarra a goddess."

"He still had twelve years before that in which to help her not feel so alone. He could have let it be known he was her father so she didn't have to suffer the label of bastard all that time. And he could have waited to bring Sarra here until Daine was safe in Snowsdale after Sarra died. For that matter, he could have protected Sarra in the first place. He did none of that. I want to respect him, if for no other reason because he is a god. But I'm having a little trouble."

The badger sneezed repeatedly. "You speak your mind, just like my kit."

Numair chuckled. "You do love her like a child, don't you?"

The badger nodded. "I'm proud of my kit."

"And…" he broke off. He wanted to know if the badger might accept them if someday Daine returned his affections. He just couldn't say the words.

"What you need to ask yourself," the badger said, "is if you think the way her life turned out is wrong. She would not be who she is today if Weiryn had been part of her life. Is that what you want?"

"Gods no!" He couldn't imagine not having Daine in his life and he couldn't imagine her any way other than she was. "I love her the way she is," he said softly, looking to the badger to gauge his response.

The badger sneezed. "You think I don't know that? I knew that when I saw you in Carthak." Numair couldn't help but smile. That was the answer he had hoped for.

"Will Weiryn come around?"

"Will he warm to you? I doubt it. He will tolerate you for her sake. He can threaten you all he wants to, but he knows what he owes you. However, you should know that he does not see death as an end the way you do. If the time comes to point out what you have done to protect Daine, remember that life and death is not as important as guiding her soul for the greater good."

Numair tried to absorb all this. "I think I might need to contemplate that for a while before I fully understand." The badger nodded and trotted toward the door. Numair opened it and let them both into the main room. It was then that a sudden horrible possibility occurred to Numair. "Did I know his son?"

"Briefly," the badger answered.

Numair sat hard in the chair.

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Okay, please respond


	9. Chapter 9 The Whole Picture

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it belongs to Tamora Pierce**

_A/N: Yes, you all know who the son was._

_Goldeneyedwildmage: Yes, Cearl. And thanks for the stuff on Jon. His is a complex character. But he was overdue for a little depth in my stories._

_Bitterosemary: So you didn't see the twist coming, huh? I figured you might. Juggling for Sarra is a little Numair touch I couldn't resist._

_Nativewildmage: This must be based on your favorite book then. You get the most badger in RotG_

_Purple Eyed Cat: I though for sure that someone would guess along the way. Now I feel crafty._

_Hoshi-ko88: Unfortunately Daine won't know for quite some time. Numair will wait to give Weiryn the chance to tell her._

_Sarramaks: It's giving Weiryn some depth too. He's a difficult character because time and death to him are nothing. But there's more to come._

_Dill: Thank you so much. If I get published I will put something here and I will put a thank you in my book to for providing an outlet for me to hone my craft. _

_**Chapter 9: The Whole Picture**_

Numair sat for a long time staring at nothing. The information he'd been given to process on this one day was really too much. He didn't kill Weiryn's son, but he would have if Onua hadn't. The scene played through his mind again. Cearl de Romondo, another black robe mage had entered their lives in December. He looked enough like Daine that the group had questioned the possibility that he might be her father. It never occurred to them that he might be her brother. But then, in human standards, the likelihood was slim. Cearl was at least 25 years older than Daine.

The likenesses ended with looks. Cearl was an evil man who had used magic to control Daine, Alanna and several others and make them do things they would never do. In the end, he and Numair had fought a mage's battle that nearly destroyed the world. Daine had used hyena form to take his hand off at the wrist and Onua had put a spear in his back. Then Numair had nearly killed himself trying to put right what Cearl had been willing to destroy.

Numair wondered if Sarra knew. Had she witnessed this fight? Did she know that Cearl's magic had nearly destroyed her daughter? Did she know that guilt had further consumed the girl and revisited her off and on?

And what exactly did Weiryn feel? If death was not as dire to him, did he blame Numair for trying to kill Cearl or for not succeeding? He felt so lost that he needed to see Daine. Her presence calmed him and her practicality balanced him. He rapped lightly on the door to her room, hoping to find her awake, but she didn't answer. He opened the door slowly and peeked inside. The bed was made and she was not present. She was awake.

Numair walked to the garden looking forward to seeing Daine up and around. Sarra was talking to someone that Numair couldn't see as she walked around the outside of the garden. Queenclaw was sitting in the middle of the table enjoying a bath and Broad Foot was finishing what looked to be a piece of apple.

Queenclaw looked up at him. "You just missed your girl. She went for a walk. And that is not the way to keep those thoughts hidden. Your emotions are in turmoil."

"Sorry, Queenclaw. I just learned something extremely disturbing," he answered. He sat down at the table and began to pet the cat goddess without being commanded.

Soon Sarra made her way back to the garden looking joyful. "A healthy girl," she said. Numair wasn't sure what she was talking about, but had too much in his head to process it anyway. Sarra studied Numair for a moment. "The badger has been giving you too much information."

_Well that answers that question. _"Sarra, how did you feel about what happened to us in December?"

She smiled. "I don't think anyone asked me that before, Master Salmalin."

"Numair," he reminded her.

"Alright, Numair," she smiled making her dimple deepen. "I thought you were fair impressive. I'm sorry Weiryn's son had to die. But we knew he was choosing the wrong path. Weiryn revealed himself to his son many years ago, but Cearl did not want anything to do with him. Still, Weiryn kept track of the boy. There's a hidden room in the house with a copy of every book Cearl studied. Weiryn wanted to know what magic Cearl might be absorbing after Mynos told him that Cearl could choose a path of destruction. I was not happy that he tried to use Daine to make that choice and you protected her as always."

Numair watched her intently for a moment. "Weiryn wanted to leave me to the Skinners."

He had not seen her forehead crease in this way before. "I know," she answered.

"For all that I have taken care of Daine, he would have left me to that and you would have bowed to that decision," he said cautiously. "Is that because of Cearl?"

She looked perplexed. "What you need to understand is that Weiryn knows you've been good to her and that you care for her deeply. If he thinks about it, he probably knows you love her."

"Gods do not like to be reminded of their shortcomings and a few of us have many," Queenclaw added.

"Not you, surely," he teased.

"Of course not me," the cat answered haughtily.

Sarra smiled. "Mas – Numair, you need to understand that he does not blame you for Cearl's death. It was right."

"Does he blame me for not killing him?" Numair asked pointedly.

"No, because you would have."

"Is he angry that I was apparently Cearl's motivation to hunt more power?" Numair was referring to something Cearl had told them regarding a contest when Numair and Cearl were at the Carthaki University together. Though Numair was much younger, he had bested Cearl in a blasting contest and Cearl had tried to beat him by altering his magic. It had caused a cave in that cost the lives of some spectators and nearly killed them all. Numair had saved the rest and nearly drained himself in the process.

Sarra watched him for a moment. "It is hard for a man to admit that his son was no good from the beginning. But that can hardly be blamed on you."

"Then what is this animosity he has toward me?"

"It is what any father feels when he realizes that he cannot be a hero to his daughter because she already has another. And, if he admits it to himself, it is a little jealousy because you are what he wanted Cearl to be, though _your own father_ never appreciated it."

It was true, but it hurt. "I don't like to think about my father," Numair said softly. His father had been a textile master in a long line of them. Numair (who was born Arram Draper) did not have the magic that his father and grandfather did. They made tapestries and fabrics that were perfect, imbued lightly with a magic so close to wild magic that it had driven Numair to study the subject even though his teachers insisted it didn't exist. Young Arram's first attempt at weaving a tapestry had resulted in a pile of singed silk and wool, fit for nothing. Constant fires had convinced Salam Draper to send his son to the university when he was ten years old. Despite Arram's attempts to please his father, he had never succeeded. Ultimately his father died thinking his son a traitor to Carthak and therefore to Tyra. He was ashamed and told Numair's mother as much as he lay dying. And though Numair rarely let his thoughts stray to his family, he admitted to himself now that his father had influenced him greatly. It was in his love of fine clothing and his use of language and it was part of his reluctance to admit his feelings to Daine.

Numair turned back to Sarra and asked, "If Daine reciprocated – I mean someday – would you …"

"I approve of you," Sarra answered. "You are strange, but you are good and you love her like she's all the good things of the world. I cannot help but like you, knowing you see her that way."

"And the age difference?"

She just laughed in response. Queenclaw stretched and sauntered to Numair, pressing her pink nose against his cheek. "Have you ever considered how much age difference there is between Sarra and Weiryn?"

Numair laughed. "I haven't the slightest idea."

"I think you're all silly anyway. We cats don't keep one tom around longer than necessary. Life should be enjoyed."

He grinned at the cat. "I spent a little of my life behaving like a tom-cat. But to two-leggers, it's more desirable to have something permanent."

Sarra laughed and Queenclaw switched her tail. Broad Foot had remained silent the whole time and only now made a snorting sound.

"If you keep scratching that beard, you're going to have one bald spot," Sarra pointed out eying him.

"I'd like to get rid of it entirely. Is there some place I can bathe? And is there a razor I can use?"

She smiled at him and motioned for him to follow. She took him to another door that seemed to appear out of nothing. Inside was a bathtub. Sarra looked at him a moment and then tugged at the air, near the end of it, stretching the tub to be the longest one he'd ever seen. It filled itself with steamy water and Sarra pulled a towel from a non-existent cupboard and draped it on the side of the tub. "I'll put a mirror, soap and a razor in your room," she said, and turned and left him alone. As he undressed and then lowered himself into the water, he thought, _I wish I could do that._

Numair soaked in the tub far too long. He kept mulling over everything he had learned in the past twenty four hours. By the time he emerged from the tub, his fingers and toes were very wrinkled and the water was barely warm. The towel was yet another luxury. It looked normally sized from its draped position on the edge of the tub, but when he shook it out, it was big enough to wrap around him twice and when tucked to cover him at the waist, it stretched down to his knees. He picked up his clothes and looked again at the tub wondering how to drain it. He decided he'd best ask Sarra and opened the door. A "whooshing" sound filled the air and when he looked back the tub was empty and dry. He walked back to his room in complete awe.

He put on a pair of breeches and picked up the razor, soap, mirror and a cup of water. Now he wished he could tug at the wall and make a shelf appear, but he'd have to make do. He set the mirror on the window sill and flung the towel over one shoulder. Then he dipped the soap in the water, rubbing it in his hands until he had a thick enough lather to work with. He began to try to remove his beard. The razor was very sharp, which helped a lot. But he was trying to be clean about the process, which made it difficult.

As he shaved he started to think again about everything. _It's important that we get back_, he thought, remembering the dream of Jon. _I wish I could tell him somehow that we're alive. It would help reduce his guilt a little. _But then he realized something. He was contemplating taking Weiryn's daughter from him. _What if she wants to stay? She could. She'd be safer. _He sighed heavily. It would hurt to lose her, but not as much as if she were killed.

The whole reality of his situation seemed to settle on him at once. He'd been part of destroying Weiryn's son, and Weiryn, whether he wanted to or not, had ultimately saved his life. The Skinners would have killed him – them. The reality of this realm was unbelievable. _Sarra can reshape her home. I would love to do that. She can hear thoughts too, but must allow for free will, just like The Goddess. They can only visit on great holidays but somehow they appear to their subjects and sometimes give gifts. Weiryn has every book his son studied. Are they real books or do they just appear to be real? What is real? Was that bath real? Am I real? _He wasn't sure when he started mumbling the thoughts instead of just thinking them, but that was what he was doing when a soft voice asked, "Need help."

He turned, smiling at Daine. She was dressed in a red dress and she looked a little tired and pale. "It's good to see you on your feet."

"It's good to be on them," she said. She picked the mirror up from the windowsill. "Have you talked to Da or Ma about sending us home?"

He gave her a sarcastic smile as he wet his razor. "Let us say rather that I have _attempted _to do so. They are amazingly elusive on the subject. The best I've gotten so far is that we may discuss it once you have recovered."

"I've recovered," she said almost stubbornly. By the tone he guessed she wasn't completely recovered.

He looked at her pale skin and thought again about the skinners and taking her from the family she had missed so. "Daine," he began. It was hard. He didn't want to go without her. He wasn't sure how he'd last without her. But it was the right thing to do. He could take care of Kit and she could be safe and maybe happy. The thoughts made him ache. Still, she waited for him to finish what he'd started, so he knew he must. "Perhaps – perhaps you should stay here while I return. This is your home. You'd be safe here." He'd said it, although he hated the thought that she might agree.

She put down the mirror, clearly upset. "How can you say that? _Tortall_ is my home!"

Part of him wanted to celebrate, but the rest of him knew he must press on. "You'd be with Sarra – I know you've missed her. You'd get to know your father." He put the mirror back on the sill and began to scrape the remaining bristles from his chin, trying to sort out the reasons why he must say this because the part of him that wanted her to disagree was starting to win. But then he thought of the Skinners. "Look at it from my perspective," he couldn't look at her now or he might stop and he'd promised himself he would always do what was best for her. "I was powerless against the Skinners. There are so many foes in this war, and too many are strange. I would like to know that _you_, at least, had a chance to survive." With the words out finally, he knew he'd done the right thing, but it hurt so much.

She glared at him. "I'll make my own chances, if you please." She stuck out her stubborn chin the way she always did when her mind was set. She leveled her gaze on him and sat on his bed. He turned back to his shaving so she wouldn't see the war going on inside of him. He rinsed his face and dried it with the towel.

He draped the towel over the window ledge to dry. "Will you at least consider it?" he asked, knowing the answer.

"No," she said firmly.

He tried not to smile and decided it was better to not look at her. He picked up the mirror again to make sure he hadn't missed anything. "Daine…" Suddenly instead of his reflection in the mirror, he saw flying monkeys. They were attacking a group of riders and the own that included Raoul of Goldenlake and Buri Tourakem of the Queen's riders. Carthaki warriors moved into the frame, also fighting the Tortallans. He pushed the mirror at Daine and asked, "What do you see?"

She stared for a moment. No doubt she was taking in all that he had just seen. He thought again about the image of Jon that he had dreamed. He had known it was true, somehow. His hands were shaking as he took the mirror away.

"I went for a walk earlier and saw the most beautiful birds – giant. The skink said they were sunbirds. When they face the sun, bright, colorful light spills from their feathers. It's like watching a rainbow take flight. But then there was a picture in the lights. I could see Thayet and Onua, back to back on a wall in front of the palace at Corus. They were trying to fight so many stormwings, Numair. You said it yourself. They need every fighter – every mage."

"In the Divine Realms, we observe mortal affairs," said a voice. It was Broad Foot. He was waddling into the room. "Liquid is the most reliable, but flame and mirrors work. Mortals who visit tell us that in their sleeping, just before they wake, they hear what is said as well."

"Is it possible to observe specific people and events?" Numair asked.

"Yes. It is how Sarra could observe you, Daine. With practice, you could master it in a week or so, and hear as well as see what goes on in the mortal realms."

Numair picked up the mirror and sat on the bed.

"We'll finish our chat _later_," Daine told him as she stood. "I'm not done with you!" He didn't look up at her. He was smiling in gratitude but didn't want her to see. She had said "I'm not done with you" because she meant she intended to continue the argument, but to him it meant a whole other thing – he would not be forced to live without her. He knew it was selfish to be happy about this, but he was.

He stared into the mirror, thinking of Alanna, the king's champion and one of his closest friends. It took a long time, but ultimately she appeared, doing exactly what he hoped she'd be doing. She was scrying for him and Daine. He did a spell on the mirror to open it for communication. It was a simple spell and one of the first ones students learned when they went to a university. He didn't know if it would work across realms. But he hoped that Alanna would see him if not hear him and understand.

He watched the frustration on her face as she obviously cursed and focused harder. Her short red hair looked rough, like she had been tugging on it. She had been at this awhile. Then he saw her violet eyes change. He looked at her anxiously and she smiled. "We're trapped in the Divine Realms," he spoke at the mirror, hoping she'd hear. "We will find a way home soon." He waited. She seemed to be trying to understand. He carried the mirror just under his nose while he hunted for a quill, ink and parchment. In the meantime he saw Alanna trying to speak to him. By not watching his feet, he nearly tripped and found he had lost the image.

He would have to ask one of the gods if there was a better way to send a message. But for now, at least, Alanna had seen him. She would not know where he was, but she would know he was alive and she would tell Jon.

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Please review.


	10. Chapter 10 Truce

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it belongs to Tamara Pierce.**

_A/N: _

_Bibliopheliac: Umm, thanks? There was actually a lot of new stuff in there. There was a smidgeon of Numair's past in there too. It will be important later._

_Goldeneyedwildmage: The tauros happens on the following morning. So, no, he doesn't know yet._

_Twilight Shades: You're right that he doesn't have a proper understanding of time. This will further highlight it, but don't get used to Numair and Weiryn getting along. Something will upset him again._

_Ethalas Tuath'an: Thanks_

_Alanna Cooper: You're psychic._

_Nativewildmage: I had always wished there was more Alanna in RotG though I understand why it wasn't there._

_Hoshi-ko88: I'll miss you. I hope you have fun while you're gone._

_Sarramaks: We'll call it a draw. "Philosophical Enquiry?" Interesting._

_**Chapter 10 - Truce**_

Numair couldn't put the mirror down. Throughout his life, new challenges of magic had consumed him. He should have realized this would happen. Hearing Broad Foot say most mortals could master this type of viewing in a week was like issuing a challenge to his studious side. He had to master it in a day or even a couple of hours just to prove it could be done. It had always been so.

He picked subject after subject, finding a way to pull them into his vision in less and less time for each. Not surprisingly, it took him only 30 minutes to be able to focus and instantly pull the image. The sounds had not come yet, but he was sure they would if he kept trying. He decided to check on Kit. He saw her riding in Tkaa's pouch as they walked along a corridor in the castle at Legann. Her color was a dull green – she was sad. It was enough to pull him from his academic single-mindedness.

He walked to Daine's room and rapped lightly on the door. She didn't answer. He opened the door slowly and found her sleeping soundly in her bed. Completely captivated, Numair was drawn into the room against his will. He crouched beside the bed and watched her sleeping soundly for a moment. He gently brushed her hair back from her forehead and pressed his lips near her hair line.

"I tried to tell her," Broad Foot said lightly, "But she went to sleep."

Startled, Numair looked at the duck mole and whispered, "Tried to tell her what?"

"That you love her."

Shocked, Numair said, "I thought Gods had rules."

"I did say 'maybe'," the duck mole said lightly.

"Please, don't do that again. She has the right to choose for herself. I cannot influence the decision. If she knows she might believe herself in love with me and... I want her to be sure."

"If you say so," Broad Foot said. "What brought you in?"

"I was going to let her see Kit, although it might not be the best idea if I want to give her the option to stay. However, I think she's decided."

"Of course she has. But it was right that you offered. You tried to do what was best for her, even though it was painful. I am impressed." The duck mole waddled to the very end of the bed and disappeared in a flash of light.

Numair smiled to himself. If Broad Foot was Daine's father, he would surely have that blessing. But Weiryn fathered Daine and it was Weiryn he needed to somehow reach. He thought it might be too much to expect the hunt god to ever like him, but he'd settle for a lack of open hostility.

Numair left Daine to sleep and walked out to the garden where he knew Sarra was preparing dinner. He thought he could offer to help her and maybe ask how to send a message to his friends. But when he got close to the garden he heard Broad Foot say, "… suggested she might stay to get to know you, while he returned home."

He chuckled to himself. Broad Foot seemed determined to help. He wondered if duck moles were that friendly by nature or if Broad Foot somehow felt a special bond with Daine. He stopped at the top of the path to see how it would be accepted. Then he heard Weiryn say, "I would not have expected that."

Sarra laughed. "I keep telling you that he takes care of her. He's a good man, my love. Give him a chance."

Numair decided it was best to quit eavesdropping and show himself. He wandered into the garden with the mirror still in his hand.

"You look much better, Master Salmalin," Sarra said when she saw him.

"Good evening, Sarra, Lord Weiryn, Queenclaw, Broad Foot," he said in acknowledgement to all in the room. "And thank you, Sarra" he said stroking his clean shaven chin. "I feel much more like myself."

Weiryn eyed him as if struggling for something to say. It ended up being rather insulting. "Are you vane?" he asked gruffly.

Sarra openly glared at him. "Charming tonight, aren't you, Weiryn," Queenclaw sassed.

Weiryn shot the cat a cold look and said, "One of these days I'm going to add an orange and white pelt to my wall." She hissed, offended.

Numair stood there for a moment trying to figure out the vane comment and finally got it. "Oh, the mirror," he tried to chuckle good-naturedly. It came out a little too nervous. "I was viewing."

"Did you already master it?" Broad Foot asked, shocked,

Numair grinned. "No, I have not succeeded in listening in yet, but otherwise. It's a lot like learning new spells and I've always had a natural ability in that area." Weiryn rolled his eyes.

Numair brought the mirror over to Sarra who was nearest and said, "Would you like to peek at my little girl?"

She looked taken aback. He focused on kitten and held the mirror out to her. When she saw the dragon, she began to laugh. It did the trick. Weiryn was too curious too stay away. However, he didn't think it was funny.

"Skysong is my daughter's charge, not yours," he said gruffly.

"Yes, that is technically accurate," Numair answered. "But I have always been there. I was Daine's teacher when Kitten came into her charge and I helped her get information for caring for the little dragon. Over time she's found her way into my heart."

Sarra gave Numair a very warm smile and Queenclaw said, "Awww." Then the cat proceeded to wash her tail. Numair couldn't decide what the expression on Weiryn's face was.

It was then that Weiryn spoke. "You don't think of Daine as your child?"

"No," Numair said. The question made him a little sad. He thought it demonstrated clearly that Weiryn would not approve of the age difference.

"He's not old enough to be her father," Sarra said. She turned to Numair, "Mortal years fair confuse my Weiryn."

He looked at Weiryn and said, "There are others in Tortall who have acted as surrogate parents to Daine when the need arose. However, she has always been very independent in that regard. In many respects she was more responsible at 13 than most people twice her age."

That seemed to brighten Weiryn up slightly. So Numair added, "Once after a visit from the badger, Daine confided that she was frustrated because she would forget to ask who her father was until after he left her. Daine always wanted to know you, Lord Weiryn."

Sarra shot him a conspiratorial grin.

Weiryn looked a little penitent. "Did you actually suggest she stay with us while you return."

"Yes," Numair said, regretfully. "But it made her angry. I've known Daine a long time. This is not something she is willing to agree to. She can be very strong willed, but it's a quality that also makes her courageous."

Weiryn sighed heavily and asked darkly, "Did you know how she would respond before you asked?"

"I suspected she might say that. I tried to be persuasive because – there are many unknown foes in this war. I do fear for her safety. She is exceptionally capable of taking care of herself and she is an immense asset in a battle – still I don't – I cannot know how this will come out. I promised myself I would always do what was best for her no matter what. So I had to give her that choice."

For the time being, Weiryn seemed appeased. Numair offered to set the table and when he carried a stack of plates and utensils to the table, Queenclaw looked at him with a new respect and whispered, "Well played, mage. You would have made a good cat."

He assumed this was her idea of a high compliment, so he said, "Thank you, Queenclaw," and bowed slightly.

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Okay, respond


	11. Chapter 11 Strange Dinner Fellows

**Disclaimer: It belongs to Tamora Pierce**

_Ehtalas Tuath'an: Glad you liked it. Plenty more on the way._

_Twilight Shades: The truce didn't last very long._

_Goldeneyedwildmage: The truce was too brief._

_Alanna Cooper: Thanks_

_Kit 49: He discovers that Gods can read his thoughts in the beginning of WS when the Badger shows up and reads past all his safeguards. Weiryn and Numair deal with one another all right, but they never exactly like each other. I'm trying to highlight it without making Weiryn hated. It's hard but I'm getting there._

_Blackandwhiteroses: Unless the cat in question is the one I have that eats curtains._

_Nativewildmage: Glad you liked it._

_Bitterosemary: Thank you, thank you. It made you swoon – cool!_

_Lady Araceli: Cat manners? You haven't met my cat. I've never given much thought to what animal he would be. _

_Purple Eyed Cat: Yes, poor Kit. Not much thought was given to her in the book._

_Sarramaks: I like that Weiryn steps all over himself. He's a god, but he's also got quirks._

_Sunfish Sailor: Thanks so much. There is a lot more stuff about his family to be revealed in this story, including the real reason he has trouble with their age difference._

_**Chapter 11 – Strange Dinner Fellows**_

Sarra managed to maneuver the places so that Numair sat next to Weiryn. Numair thought perhaps that she was a little too eager to build a friendship between the two men. So Numair reminded himself to be extra respectful and keep thinking about text.

Among their guests that night, Sarra had set a place for Broad Foot and Queenclaw, as well as a tall, pale man with dark, unruly hair and fathomless eyes. "This is Gainel, Master of Dreams and one of the great gods, Gainel this is Master Numair Salmalin, my daughter's teacher." The two shook hands politely, Gainel nodding silently.

At that moment, Daine appeared. She was again wearing a red dress that looked remarkably fresh, despite her nap. She had that lovely sleepy-eyed look and her hair fell about her face in an entrancing way. He longed to run his fingers through it. _Thoughts like that could be harmful._ Numair looked back to Weiryn, but he was focused on Gainel, as if the two were talking in mindspeak.

Then Weiryn introduced Gainel to his daughter and Gainel took her hand and kissed it. Numair felt the slightest twinge of jealousy although he knew it was stupid. He had kissed the hands of many ladies – it was a polite and respectful greeting and nothing more. He tried to guess what Gainel might think of Daine, but his eyes were black pits that seemed to stretch into infinity, and it made him completely unreadable. Just then Weiryn looked to Daine and said, "He says it's a pleasure to meet you. You must excuse him – as the Dream King, he's only permitted to speak to mortals in dreams. We gods hear him," – Weiryn tapped his skull – "but you won't."

Daine curtsied to the god. "I'm honored, Your Majesty," she said.

Gainel smiled and took a seat to Sarra's right. A place had been left for Daine between Numair and Broad Foot. She grinned at Numair and he smiled back in greeting. Maybe she had forgiven him for offering to let her stay behind. She began to climb over the bench and stumbled. Numair caught her and braced her arm until she was seated. As he let go, her hand brushed down his arm, leaving him tingling warmly. He nervously began to translate text under his breath knowing he had just been very transparent in his longing for her. Luckily, neither Weiryn nor Daine seemed to notice.

It was easily the strangest dinner party Numair had ever attended. It was fascinating to think that although his companions included a man with antlers, two animal gods, and a man with eyes that stretched into infinity, it was the highest class of dinner companions he had ever seen. He had dined with kings, but never before had he dined with five gods.

He turned to say something to Daine and she shot him a perturbed look. Apparently _she hadn't_ forgiven him for his earlier offer. He focused on his dinner. When they had talked before, the first thing Daine had asked was if he had spoken to her parents about how to get home He needed to ask to maintain peace with her, but he had only barely earned a truce from her father. Daine passed him the wine pitcher without pouring herself any. He knew why. Wine was a bad idea for mages anyway, but in the divine realms, everything seemed to be stronger. Every food was more potent and every herb more magical. Even something as simple as butter had the strongest flavor he had ever encountered. He sighed heavily and poured himself a small amount of wine, hoping not to insult Weiryn. He pretended to sip.

Daine, at his left, remained very silent. She seemed to be watching the conversations around her. He leaned to Weiryn and asked very softly, "Lord Weiryn, I know that you are only able to cross to the mortal realm on great holidays and therefore, only able to help us cross at that time. Is there anyone else who can help us return?" He braced himself for the return of the animosity.

"Petition the great gods for all the good it will do," Weiryn's voice rang in answer and Numair cringed. "They are too busy fighting Uusoae to ferry mortals back home. They won't even respond to mind calls from us lesser gods."

Numair turned to Gainel nervously, "Forgive me, but our friends are hard pressed. Might _you_ send us home? You are one of the Great Gods and you don't look as if you are locked in combat with the Queen of Chaos."

Gainel smiled and shook his head.

He says you forget your myths," Sarra interjected, looking far too pleased. "Of the Great Gods, the Dream King alone cannot enter the mortal realms. He can only send his creatures to do his work there."

"Forgive me," Numair said humbly. "I _had_ forgotten." He turned to face Daine to apologize, but her attentions were on Broad Foot. He couldn't help but think about what she had said to Jon before they departed – "Don't worry, Numair will sort them out." She expected him to find the answers and he was letting her down. Numair picked up his wine and took a real sip. His head immediately began to buzz. He set the cup down and reminded himself not to be that stupid again.

He gathered his courage and turned to Weiryn again. "I have met the Goddess. Last fall she brought me back from the brink of death. Do you think a mortal like myself might have a chance of petitioning the Great Gods, as you suggested?"

"I don't see why you fuss about it so," Weiryn snapped. "Come the fall equinox, _you_ at least will be dragged back to your wars, and I wish you the joy of them!"

"They don't _give_ me joy, and I didn't ask for them," he fired back, nearly losing his temper. "Would you prefer we let Ozorne and his allies roll over us?"

Sarra glared at Numair, sending a clear message that he was ruining her dinner party and she wouldn't stand for it. _Great! Now both parents can hate me._ He sighed and looked to Daine, who seemed to be feeding some kind of a creature on the floor, though he could not see what. He almost laughed. _That's my Magelet_, he thought and then the longing started all over. _She's not mine. Maybe she would want to be with me someday, but I'll have to survive her parents first._

Sarra, in the meantime, seemed determined to the change the subject. She turned to Gainel and said, "By the way, I think one of your servants might have escaped somehow and wandered here. It called itself a darking." Numair saw Daine flinch and he wondered immediately if that might be what she was feeding.

"Look at this," Sarra said, drawing his attention back to her. She lifted her hand, sticking her fingers through a hole in the bottom of her apron pocket. "It got away." Whatever a darking was, it apparently fit in her pocket, and if his guess was correct, it liked cheese. He cast a sidelong glance at Daine and smiled to himself. He had the incredible urge to just kiss her right there. He wasn't sure if it was the threat of her parents or the wine. Maybe it was both.

He turned his attention back to Gainel who was probing the pocket with white sparkling light. The image of a small creature that was shaped like a clothes-pin appeared. Gainel shook his head.

"He's never seen its like," Weiryn told the mortals. Gainel's light faded and he withdrew his hand from Sarra's apron.

"I _told _them you are strict with your subjects," Queenclaw said haughtily, grooming her tail.

Gainel stood, nodded to each of them and vanished.

"He's terrible at good-byes," Broad Foot remarked. "Worse than a cat that way."

"I prefer to think he's as good as a cat," retorted Queenclaw. Numair grinned at the cat.

Sarra stood. "Well, no amount of wondering and chatter will see that the dishes are done. Let's get started, Daine." Numair was a little surprise. He looked up at Daine, who only hesitated a second, sighed and stood. Numair thought about offering to help, but Weiryn's eyes bore into him so hard that he knew this was calculated. He remained where he was while the ladies gathered the plates and headed to the kitchen.

"One moment you tell her she should stay behind and the next minute you're looking for a way to take her back with you to your damnable war," Weiryn growled the second the women were out of earshot.

Numair's head was still buzzing from a single sip of wine and his patience was nearing its end. "You desire a relationship with your daughter and yet you seem unable to understand the tiniest aspects of her personality," he snapped.

Queenclaw leaped across the table and sat directly in front of him. He heard her say, _-Be careful-._

It was already too late. Weiryn's face looked ashen. "Why don't you explain it to me then, Mage." The words came out in a growl and there was so much hatred poured into the word "Mage" that it sounded like a curse.

"Daine told me _no_. She argued with me. She practically yelled at me. Daine is a calm, responsible, practical girl. She doesn't get angry without reason and when she argues, her mind is set and cannot be changed. She doesn't jump to a decision either. It is borne of thoughtful consideration and immediate weighing of options. She loves you and her mother. But you are in no danger here. Others she loves face peril and she won't leave them to confront it while she relaxes in safety. It is not a trait she got from her mother. It must have come from you."

Weiryn actually sputtered. Broad Foot sniggered. Queenclaw strutted back to her previous seat. "He's got you there, Weiryn," she sassed.

Numair stood and a looked down at Weiryn. "I am very sorry to be so short with you. I should not have had any wine. A sip has left me dizzy. But I think I should tell you there are hard lessons I learned about your daughter some time ago. She _hates_ to be left in the dark and she _hates_ to have decisions made for her. I know you love her and you want what is best for her. But that is not something you can choose. She must choose for herself. And you should tell her about her brother."

He bowed politely and carried the remaining dishes to the kitchen, leaving Weiryn seated at the table as though he were frozen.

But when he arrived in the kitchen, Daine was not there. "I gave her medicine and sent her to bed," Sarra said in answer to his unspoken question.

Numair nodded and then told her what he knew she was wishing to find out. "Weiryn and I may never be friends. Even if he thinks I'm tolerable one moment, it may change the next when my secret is revealed to him. Inevitably, that will happen."

Sarra smiled in spite of herself. She handed him a cup of dark liquid. "I think you should also spend one more night in bed. Although you did not overdo the way Daine did, and you do not have any divine blood to make you suffer as much, I think you should go to bed and rest too.

A burst of silver brought Queenclaw and Broad Foot into the kitchen. Both seemed to be most pleased with him. He took a deep breath and downed the vile medicine, tasting the strong herbs that could only be the product of the divine realm.

"That was good advice," Broad Foot said, "But you should take it yourself. Don't leave her in the dark."

Drowsy he stared at the three Gods in the room, all of whom seemed to be gazing at him expectantly. "The problem is I cannot sway her decision in this and revealing that information would do just that. I cannot doom Daine to the type of marriage my parents had," he said barely coherently.

"To bed, Mister," Sarra directed. But she was smiling softly. He waived to the gods and walked to his room very slowly. He felt as if he were swimming through thick mud. He removed his boots, socks and shirt. But he was far too dizzy and tired to undress anymore. He lay down and fell instantly to sleep.

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Okay, review


	12. Chapter 12 Overemotional

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's Tamora Pierce's.**

_A/N: For anyone who's interested, I did research to find the meanings of the names Numair Salmalin. What I put in this chapter is really what a search of Arabic names revealed. _

_SunfishSailor: You're psychic. I will get into their marriage soon , but this chapter only has a little more on Dad._

_Hoshi-Ko88: Glad you liked it._

_Nativewildmage: "Flew out the window like a cinderblock". That is so funny I might have to use that someday._

_Alanna Cooper: Thanks!_

_Narm's Briton 44: Glad you're reviewing. Thanks again for pointing out the mistake. _

_Purple Eyed Cat: Yes this is the Tauros and no, Weiryn didn't pick up on his emotions from the night before but … _

_Sarramaks: It's like a tennis match. Score one for Weiryn, score one for Numair, score one for Weiryn._

_Bitterosemary: I hope you aren't really still hopping. You'll be quite tired if you are._

_Kit49: Hope is blooming very strong after a long stretch of none. _

_Bibliopheliac: The "overexertion" was actually a quote from text. She was referring to Daine's walk up the hill._

_Starlit Emerald Eyed Empress: This story will go slightly past the end of RotG. The last regular chapter will end when Daine comes to him after the fight with Hadensra but there will be a big epilogue – very fluffy._

_**Chapter 12 - Overemotional**_

In his dream, the tall, thin man approached. His salt and pepper hair was cut very short and he wore a mostly gray beard. His heavy brows were set above coffee colored eyes and a long nose. The man wore a canvas apron, like he had done nearly every day of his life. It had numerous pockets and textile tools were visible in each: a curved knife, sheers, hooks, spindles, extra thread – all things that Numair had been urged to memorize and name from the age of three. His name was Salam, but he was "father" to Numair and he had been dead for seven years.

In a flash he was a boy again, eager to earn his father's acceptance and somehow aware it would never come. He bowed – a show of respect to this man who had shown him none. He realized now that he was taller than his father, something he had somehow never put together. When he had last seen Salam Draper, he had been eighteen and was nearly the same height. He would grow for three more years – an unusual fact, but there it was. It seemed strange to look down on his father, when it had been his father who looked down on him both figuratively and in reality.

Numair glanced at his father's magic. It was a unique form of gift, appearing to be woven into his skin in lines of charcoal. There was a time when he was very young and had described this to his father, when his father became enraged at Numair's suggestion that he could see magic in that detail. Despite Numair's abundant power, he had always feared Salam Draper. The fear rolled over him now but he pushed it aside.

"Follow me," Salam said and motioned. Numair wasn't sure why, but he followed this ghost through a dark room to a tall door. When he opened it, light bloomed in the distance. It began to grow closer although he wasn't sure if it approached them or if he and his father somehow flew to it. A ring of people stood there, arms overlapping, hands clasping their neighbor's shoulders. In the middle of the circle a woman with gray hair and golden skin seemed to be melting into the floor – no, shape-shifting. She became a yellow and orange snake and struck at one of the people in the ring. He threw her back with silver fire.

Numair turned to his father. If this was a mage fight, it would be the last place his father would ever lead him. While some men might have been proud their son was as powerful as Numair had turned out to be, he was put off. He had told Numair on numerous occasions that the Gift was no good if it didn't give a man a living and war was not a living. Numair could hardly argue. He was a war mage with a proclivity toward pacifism. Although he had never run from a fight, he hated every one. Though he had killed many, he never forgot even one of those he sent to the Black God and he sent prayers for their families each midwinter. "Why have you led me here?" he asked Salam.

Salam glared in the way Numair had seen him do thousands of times. "Pay attention, boy," he barked. So Numair turned his attention back to the circle, only to see the snake woman now shaped like an odd tree with gray twigs that seemed to be reaching to escape the circle and roots that spread like tentacles in the bottom. He was surprised. No mage he had ever seen could shape shift like this. Even Daine was limited to animals. In a blink, the tree became a giant shark with wings and a blow hole like a whale, which spurted a shower of multi colored drops, all of which poured over and around the circle of people and took a form of their own – a swarm of bees. But the swarm was forced back to the strange, ever-shifting woman in the center. He felt a stinging sensation and looked to see that a few bees had escaped, unnoticed by the circle of captors.

Numair turned his gaze to the people that made up the circle. The first one he recognized was the Goddess. She wore a determined look on her painfully beautiful countenance. Next to her was the Black God in his deep cowl and long robe. Next was a large powerful black man in gold armor, Mithros, who Numair would know anywhere from his numerous years of study. In fact all of the great gods were there, save one – Gainel. Now he knew the creature in the center must be Uusoae, the Queen of Chaos.

He tried to speak to the gods to tell them of the bees, but with a motion from Mithros, his mouth was bound shut and he was unable to utter a sound. The graveyard hag appeared. "They won't listen, dearie," she said. They refuse to believe they might actually lose." She cackled and left. Numair turned to his father, who motioned for Numair to follow again.

The scene changed. It was as if they flew to a strange place where two large towers stood. The towers were identical in every aspect except color. One was made of glittering gold stone. The other was the multiple colored splotches of Uusoae – green, orange, yellow, and gray. A familiar form straddled both – Gainel. Struggling to maintain his balance, he had one foot firmly planted on the edge of the chaos tower and the other firmly planted on the gold tower. He stared at Numair through his fathomless eyes and looked pained as the chaos tower began to grow and the gold tower began to crumble. He seemed unable to pull his stance from either until a vast ripping sound was heard and Gainel plummeted toward the ground.

Numair turned to his father and said, "Why have _you_ brought me here? Of all people in my past or present, you would be the last to bring me a message."

"I am a messenger," Salam said. "And your mind chose me."

Numair saw the message in the rest of the dream but was distracted by his father – a man who hated everything he had ever done. He stared at his father and really looked at him for the first time in years. Everything was precisely as he remembered; the hair, the eyes, the apron, the look of fear. _The look of fear._ Eyes opening wide, Numair asked, "Do you fear me?"

He awoke in his room in Weiryn and Sarra's house. The revelation was true. His father had been afraid of him. He had wanted Arram to follow in his footsteps and carry on the business built by Arram's grandfather. Arram had been a powerful boy – so powerful he had nearly burned down their business unintentionally. Salam had worked tirelessly to afford the university and sent Arram away without any intention of every seeing him again. Each time Arram had visited his home, it seemed a little more crowded and a little less welcoming. And when Arram needed his father the most while Ozorne hunted him, Salam had called him a traitor and a blight on a solid family name. Numair Salmalin was not a name he took out of vanity, though he had been so accused. It was one he took to appease his father. Numair means black panther in an ancient language, a fact he was sure would tickle Queenclaw. He chose it because of the color of his magic. Salmalin, meaning haven, had been because he was using it to hide. Few had the patience to examine the meaning of his new name though, and to date, no one had ever asked what it meant.

He sat up in bed. A stack of clean clothes had been added during the night. Numerous shirts, breeches, loin clothes, and socks were all neatly folded. Clearly he and Daine were expected to stay for a long time. He cleaned up, shaved again and brushed his teeth. He also smoothed his hair into his usual horse tail using a hair tie that had been provided. Looking around the room, he discovered that seven large books on magic had also been placed there during the night. It was as if someone had written, "See, this place could be a nice distraction," across the wall. It would not work though. Their friends needed them and he knew Daine would concur on this subject.

When he walked into the main room, Weiryn was walking toward him. "There's someone outside who would like to see you," he said gruffly.

Numair followed Weiryn to the front stoop where he could see a stormwing. He couldn't imagine what Weiryn might be thinking until he realized who the visitor was.

"Rikash Moonsword!" he said in greeting. Rikash had long blond hair with numerous bones braided into it. He also had a face that was almost kind – a good representation of a personality rarely seen in stormwings. The creatures were designed to be offensive. They were an unpleasant blend of steel wings and talons with a human head and chest. And they had a strong stench about them. Stormwings befouled the sites of battles. They fed on fear and despair, leaving behind even more devastation for the families and friends to bury.

Numair sat down on the stoop next to Weiryn out of range of the smell. "How did you come to be here?" Numair asked.

"After my role in the events in Carthak, Weiryn and Sarra kept track of me and invited me to dinner. I visit every so often. Those of us who didn't side with Ozorne are hunted, so we stay here in the divine realms."

"I thought you were going to kill him," Numair said.

"I would have if I could have. He killed King Jokhun from behind and took his crown. Now 248 of my kind follow him and do his bidding. There are 68 on our side of things and we have continued to try our best to kill him, but so far he just reduces our numbers and escapes every time."

Numair sighed heavily. "I cannot tell you how often I wished I had torched him on the spot."

"Don't question your decision. My kind would have a hard time trusting you if that were your nature."

Weiryn snorted. Numair tried to ignore him.

Rikash looked between the two. "Trouble in paradise?"

Numair shook his head as if to say "now is not the time". He glanced sidelong at Weiryn, who remained stonily silent. "I assume Lord Weiryn explained how Daine and I came to be here," he said.

"Yes. The Stone Tree Nation was among those Sarra and Weiryn questioned about the origin of the creatures you call Skinners. They were not immortals of any sort. I cannot begin to imagine what sort of creation they were. And since I know you're wondering about Ozorne, I can tell you right now that stormwing magic cannot do anything like that."

"I actually surmised as much. I also knew they weren't immortals because Daine cannot sense them. In fact probing them with her magic nearly killed her. It made her shift forms abruptly and she was in eagle form at the time."

Rikash shook his head and clicked his tongue. "And you didn't blow them to pieces?"

Numair shot a nervous look to Weiryn. _Does everyone know about my feelings for Daine?_ "I umm – I tried. I tried to burst them, bury them, shift them into water.."

Daine came walking up over the rise wearing only soggy and mostly transparent breastband and loincloth. She had a muddy red garment slung over one arm and a filthy towel was folded in one hand like a sling. Her face was tear streaked and her lips were pressed together in a determined expression he had seen many times. He saw her toss aside a pair of rocks as Rikash turned to look at her.

"What happened to you?" the stormwing asked.

Numair realized he was on his feet. A storm of emotions swarmed through him. She looked like she had been in some kind of attack. Whatever it was had been bad enough to make her cry and forget all modesty.

"Broad Foot will explain," Daine said as she ducked between Numair and Weiryn. "I need to clean up."

Broad Foot appeared in a burst of silver light and Weiryn immediately demanded an explanation.

"A tauros crossed between realms and went after her," the duck mole answered. "She killed it, but she was upset about it."

Numair had heard himself gasp at the word "tauros" and worry, fear, rage, protectiveness, and a strong desire to comfort Daine fought for primary focus within him. He looked up and saw Weiryn staring at him in shock. Then he remembered that Queenclaw had said that if he got overemotional, Weiryn would be able to read his thoughts. He had definitely gotten overemotional. He sighed as he watched anger bubble in his host's eyes. At least he wouldn't have to think about how to get back to the mortal realm. Weiryn was going to kill him.

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Okay, review.


	13. Chapter 13 Arguing

**Disclaimer: It belongs to Tamora Pierce**

_A/N: Well, we're that much closer to the walk through the realm. Oh, expect this to have the most chapters I've ever used. I think it will be nearly 30._

_Goldeneyedwildmage: Sorry I slowed down. I only guarantee one chapter per day and I haven't fallen off that deadline._

_Bitterosemary: Haa, funny. Thanks for the compliments. There is so much more of his past to come to. Of course, while it isn't anti-cannon now, it will be someday. I understand Tamora Pierce is going to write that herself. I wonder how off I'll be. Oh, and he got a stay of execution._

_Purple Eyed Cat: I think that is precisely what happened. In RotG, just after the first kisses, Rikash asks her if she's brooding over "longshanks" as if he knows there's something. I always figured he saw it. He did tell her that things weren't as bad as she thought and to look around in the end of EM because Numair was there. It probably never dawn on him that they had not done anything about it yet. He doesn't seem like someone to keep his mouth shut about anything. I liked Rikash. He was sassy and I love that he called Ozorne "Sweetheart" and "my precious"._

**_Chapter 13 – Arguing _**

"Come with me NOW," Weiryn growled. There was nothing Numair could do but obey, so he waived to Rikash and followed Weiryn into the house and into the kitchen, where Sarra was busy making lunch. They were barely through the door when Weiryn addressed Sarra in nearly a bellow, "You knew, didn't you!" It was not a question.

"Knew what, dear?" she asked, her eyes big and innocent. It seemed to further enrage Weiryn and was most unhelpful.

Numair sent black fire around the kitchen to insulate it. Weiryn whirled at the sight and glared at Numair. "What exactly is that for?" the god asked.

"Maybe it is unnecessary, but if we are to discuss my feelings for Daine, I don't want her to accidentally overhear."

Sarra looked between the men and seemed to come to a decision. "Sit!" she ordered both, pointing to chairs that seemed to come out of the wall at her command. Numair sat abruptly, Weiryn remained standing.

Weiryn and Sarra stared at each other, motioning once in a while as if they were having a mind-to-mind conversation or maybe argument. Numair tried to wait patiently, but it was hard. He wanted to defend himself and he wanted to go check on Daine. Suddenly the mindspeak was dropped and Weiryn began to argue aloud. "…everyone knew but me! That damned Queenclaw hid his thoughts from me. And I kept wondering why he seemed to always be thinking about book text every time I saw him! All because you decided this should be allowed to continue!"

A fierce look crossed Sarra's face and Numair could see a vein in her temple bulge slightly. If she was arguing, it was again in mindspeak. She crossed her arms in front of her and finally said something aloud. "Men! You think you know everything!" If the situation weren't so serious Numair might have laughed. "And Weiryn, you know the rules better than I do. We don't interfere in human emotions. We don't interfere in free will. You can't interfere here."

"This is my daughter – my _sixteen year old daughter_ and he wants to bed her!"

"Now wait a minute," Numair interjected, jumping to his feet. "First of all, that _is not_ what I want. I love Daine. Yes, I want her. I am a man. I can't shut that off. But there is a big difference between desire and action. You make it sound like that's all there is to this. And since you can look into my mind, you know damn well that what I want is to be with her. And still, I have not spoken. She doesn't know how I feel because I didn't want to confuse her."

Weiryn had let him go on for an amazingly long time considering the clear anger on his face. "She's too young," he growled finally.

"Excuse me," Numair said, completely losing control of his temper, "Wasn't Sarra sixteen when you left her pregnant and alone?"

Sarra's eyes grew large as she grabbed her mate. "Now is not the time, Numair," she said.

He cursed -- something Numair rarely did. "Why not? If I have to face his self-righteous wrath, I think now is the time to tell him he's being hypocritical, because while he seems to want to play Daddy now, maybe he needs to realize the consequences of his actions." There was some part of Numair screaming at him that he was behaving foolishly. But there's only so long one human can push their emotions aside and he had apparently reached his limit.

Weiryn snarled, "So you, a mortal mage – you think you're going to explain the world to a god," he laughed sarcastically and he looked very angry.

"No, I think I'm going to explain your daughter to you, since you never bothered to find out." A crackle filled the air with silver lightening. Numair wasn't sure whether it was stopped by Sarra, stopped by the badger (who chose that second to appear) or whether it was never meant to hit him in the first place. He didn't move though. He stood there, back straight, ready to take whatever punishment Weiryn chose for him. His magic couldn't help. His warding couldn't even keep the badger out, not that he wanted to.

"What is going on in here?" the badger asked.

"This – man – thinks he's going to explain things to me about my daughter," Weiryn said flippantly.

"Shut up, Weiryn," Sarra said softly. The antlered god looked shocked. There was a look in her eyes of soft resignation. Perhaps his emotions were still so heightened that they could look right into his mind, but if that were the case, Weiryn wasn't hearing the arguments. Sarra put a hand on her mates shoulder and said, "Say what you need to say, Master Salmalin."

His temper mellowed slightly as he began, "You watch us, but you don't watch all the time. You mustn't, because if you did you would know the number of times that beautiful girl has asked me who would want 'Sarra's bastard'. You don't want to interfere and so you left them alone. You left Sarra to hear that she was a slut and you left your daughter to grow up without any father to claim her and weird magic that earned her the label 'freak'. You had twelve years, Lord Weiryn – twelve years in which to come and meet that wonderful girl and tell her you cared about her. There were twelve years in which you could have stood up for Sarra and told the huntsmen of Snowsdale to stop harassing her. There were twelve years when you could have explained to either Sarra or Daine what wild magic was, so Sarra would stop testing Daine for gift. You didn't do it. Maybe twelve years is no time to you and it just got away. But that's your failing, Lord Weiryn, not mine." Weiryn glared, but Sarra held him back. The badger moved closer to Numair and watched him.

"When I met Daine she had been hunted by her own kind," Numair continued. "It nearly destroyed her. She was afraid of the truth and afraid of her magic. If the badger hadn't demanded she tell us the truth, I'm not sure she would have because she was so traumatized. Sarra and Benek were gone and she was all alone in the world, struggling to find her own way. Were you watching when one of the huntsmen cut her with his blade? Were you watching when it was a wolf that licked your daughter's wound to clean it instead of having a healer to prevent infection?" He realized Sarra had begun to cry and the badger moved closer. Weiryn seemed to be speechless.

"When Daine entered my life, she didn't know you were here watching. She didn't know her mother had been given this status. She knew she was _alone_. She found a home for herself and I have been part of that for more than three years. The stormwing standing out on your lawn is alive because I didn't let her kill him in Dunlath the first time she saw him. He doesn't know that. He never knew she had her bow trained on him. He doesn't know that I told her she couldn't attack because they weren't attacking us. You weren't even there to guide her. That was me." He poked himself in the chest as he finished the sentence.

The tension in the room was getting heavier and Numair was lost in a thousand thoughts he'd never before voiced. The words just kept coming, spilling out like they had been pulled from him. "Did you fight the graveyard hag? Did you tell her you didn't want her to use your daughter in Carthak? You want to intercede now. Did you want to then? I was the one hunting for her. The badger could have found her in a second, but I was not supposed to call on him again, so I hunted and hunted for her and I kept her from tasting Ozorne's blood. I held her while she sobbed. Do you know how hard it has been on her? People died! She knows she's responsible. Who saw her through that? Me."

The badger was now close enough to touch Numair's ankle, but he couldn't stop. So he merely nodded as he spoke. "Death means nothing to you. You didn't stop Sarra's death and you didn't try to stop Daine's on several occasions. Yes, you stopped it this time, though that was probably due more to Sarra than you. Every other near death experience Daine has suffered, you left to me. _I_ pulled her from the river full of crocodiles. _I_ disposed of the blood rain in Dunlath. _I_ saw her through unicorn fever. _I_ brought her back from the displacement chasm. _I_ kept her own brother from using her as a weapon, and _I_ put the world back together when he tried to destroy it. And if you don't get around to telling her about her brother, that will be my job too, won't it?"

Weiryn didn't answer. He stood there, anger waning, but still glaring at Numair. So Numair kept going. "If you think that sex is all I want, then you obviously aren't paying attention. I am in _love_ with Daine. She represents everything good in my life. And still, I haven't spoken because she has the right to choose. I watched miserably while she dated Perin Porter and when he tried to hurt her, I comforted her. And I still didn't speak because I don't want her confused or wrongly influenced. I would die for her. I would let her love someone else and stay miserably alone if that's what would make her happy." Numair glared at Weiryn, "And I would never leave her alone and pregnant, and refuse to let her marry another if I couldn't marry her myself. But that _is_ how you left her mother. It's not right for _you_ to question _my_ morality, Lord Weiryn."

The two men continued to stare fiercely at one another and everyone in the room stayed silent for a moment. Finally Sarra said, "That's Daine, out of the bath. I'll ask her to take a roost out for her friend." She turned first to Weiryn and then to Numair as she said. "Mind your manners and stop giving each other the evil eye." As she walked out of the room, Numair distinctly heard her grumble, "Men! They're fair stupid sometimes. Think they know everything…." He smiled to himself and looked up to see the same amusement on Weiryn's face.

Weiryn returned to glowering and also shot the badger a dirty look. "Are you siding with him then?" Weiryn grumbled to the badger.

"I'm siding with _my_ kit," the badger said pointedly. "She won't like it if you hurt him and _you_ know it."

"He's had a lot more experience of love than she has," Weiryn said defensively.

"No," Numair said quietly. "I've had a lot more experience of lust than she has. It's different." The badger sneezed three times consecutively.

"He will break her heart," Weiryn said. Numair noticed he was still speaking to the badger almost as if Numair were not in the room.

"No," Numair said softly. "I cannot break her heart. I cannot hurt her at all. I love Daine and if she's hurt, I hurt. And it's all academic anyway because we are just friends."

"Until he changes his mind and decides he cannot wait to bed her a second longer."

Numair rolled his eyes and looked at the badger. "Should I bother defending myself again or will he just keep going back to that?"

The badger sneezed. "Don't bother."

When Sarra walked back in and both men weren't glaring at each other quite as much, she smiled broadly. "We're all settled then. Good! You two can help me take lunch to the table. And you will not be showing hostility around my daughter."

"I can be friendly. I _want_ to be friendly," Numair said. "You are her father," he added turning to Weiryn, "And she's always wanted to know her father. I couldn't take that from her."

The badger looked up at Numair and said in mindspeak, _-Nice touch-. _ He assumed by the lack of reaction, that the message was only heard by him.

-

-

Okay, please respond.


	14. Chapter 14 Preparations

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it belongs to Tamora Pierce**

_A/N: Thanks for all the comments on the last chapter. _

_Mouze8Cheeze: Thank you so much for the praise. Those were high compliments. I will put news of my book on my registry as long as the fanfic people are cool with it._

_Bibliopheliac: Thanks. Most of us felt that about Weiryn. _

_I Love Escapist Fantasy: Love your name by the way. Weiryn has his good points too, but I think most of wonder where the hell he was all of Daine's life._

_Kit49: LOL. He is a man. He certainly thinks about sex. The only ones that don't aren't breathing._

_Sunfish Sailor: I figured he saw their exchange in EM, which was very loving._

_Ethalas Tuath'an: I know what it's like to be too busy to pay attention to your in-box. Don't apologize. I know you'll read when you can._

_Hoshi-ko88: Thanks_

_Bitterosemary: Thank you so much. You are very, very good at compliments. I think that badger's loyalties are only with Daine. He loves her like his child. He did better by her than her own father. And badgers are like wolverines in that they aren't very social even with one another. Porter is not Perin's last name by cannon. I gave it to him. Like Draper, Taylor, and Cooper, it is a commoner name to indicate what his father's family might have done. It didn't seem a far stretch to make the son of a Porter into a clerk. And the P.P. initials make it seem to smooth to not be true, but no, the books never give him a sir name. _

_CocoaFlavourPunk: I'm so honored to get a review from someone who never reviews. And yes, this is a second chapter for today, although I'm not sure if it's still night where you are. I notice the spelling of flavour, which says we aren't in the same country. _

_Purple Eyed Cat: You'll have to wait and see about the respect. You won't be disappointed._

_Silverlake: Thanks. They can be read side by side. I'm using the book to direct the timeline so I don't screw up. The dialogue is the same except where I add stuff._

_Sarramaks: It's interesting how you relate to this personally. I had a father all my life, but he wasn't that great. Mine is a bit more like Numair's though abusive. And still I love him. Like Numair, I spent my first 20 years of life trying to earn his love. Then one day I just stopped._

_Alanna Cooper: Thanks_

_Narms Briton 44: You caught another mistake. I was thinking that the stormwings had human heads, chests, and arms. So that's why I had that in there. When you wrote what you did, I went back and checked the books and then corrected the chapter. As far as the description, it is probably unnecessary. But since this is practice for writing my own book, I write each one to stand on its own, the way a publisher would require. It's boring to fans like you, but is good practice for me._

_Nativewildmage: Thanks_

_Goldeneyedwildmage: Indeed I do like bows. Thanks!_

_**Chapter 14 – Preparations**_

They were seated at the table very much in the fashion they had been the night before with the exception that Rikash had been positioned downwind so his odor would not spoil their meal. Otherwise most of the diners were the same, except Gainel, who was not present. Numair noticed that a pitcher of fruit juice had been placed on the table in addition to the pitcher of wine.

Lunch progressed in a friendly manner without any hint of the earlier argument between Numair and Weiryn. Numair had, himself, been amazed by some of the things he had said. He had often been very brutal in his arguments with himself, accusing himself of much worse than Weiryn did. It was interesting that, in defending himself, he had convinced himself that he was worthy of Daine. Hope was doing a tap-dance in his heart again and the nearness of her was beguiling.

Numair reached for his glass of juice, trying to remind himself to breathe normally. And there, reflected on the surface of the liquid was a picture of Raoul of Goldenlake facing a foe that made the large man look tiny. He had driven a spear into the knee of a giant. The enormous monster swatted him like a fly, knocking him back a distance of nearly 20 feet while it roared in pain. The vision evaporated before he could bring it to anyone's attention. He called up the image again and set the glass in front of Weiryn.

"Has anyone thought of a way that we can go home?" Numair asked. He knew it was not a good subject for maintaining a friendship with Weiryn, but he doubted very much if Raoul would live through that fight.

Weiryn's eyes narrowed. "There is none," he growled. "The Great Gods are speaking to no one as long as Uusoae fights them."

He heard Daine sigh heavily. She was moving the food around on her plate with her fork. "What about the animal gods? I came here last fall, while I was in Carthak. _You _took me back to the mortal realms then, Badger." Numair reached for Daine's hand under the table and squeezed it briefly. It was both a show of solidarity and a comforting move to him as she reminded them all of a time that was painful to him. She smiled at him.

"Not possible," replied the great animal. "You were dead then. All I had to do was put you back into your mortal body. With both of you still alive, not all of the animal gods together could move you between the realms."

"You are far better off here with your mother," said Weiryn. "If you insist on leaving then wait until the fall equinox, when the gates open for the likes of us and you. And there's one of those _things _again!" he cried as a dark, liquid looking creature oozed onto the table from Daine's other side. Numair stared at it, wondering if this was the creature that had so resembled a clothes pin and had escaped from Sarra's apron pocket.

"Leave it be, Da," Daine said protectively. "It's not hurting anyone." Numair couldn't help but grin to himself. This _had to be_ the creature she was feeding the night before.

The thing began to change shape liquidly. Its form stretched and reshaped until it was very clearly a dragon. But it wasn't a young dragon like Kitten. This representation had clearly defined, mature wings.

"Dragons," Rikash said. "This creature is right, whatever it is. They might very well take you back. You _have_ been looking after their young one."

"You mean for my daughter to journey to the Dragonlands? Absolutely not," Weiryn snapped. It's too risky." He turned to Numair and glared again as if it were some kind of conspiracy.

At a thought that he hadn't actually realized he'd formed, an image of Kitten formed in Numair's fruit juice. She was hiding under a catapult base, while mage fire seemed to come from all sides. He covered the glass so that Daine wouldn't see. But it had strengthened his resolve. No matter what, he was going to find a way back to help. He was anxious now about Kit's welfare.

"They might refuse to help," Queenclaw was saying. "I never met a dragon that wasn't perverse – they're worse than we cats. Even the Great Gods can't force a dragon to do _anything_ it doesn't wish to."

"I'm almost positive they will do it," said Rikash. "Don't forget, we Stormwings know them best – our eyries border on the Dragonlands. They are proud. One or two of Skysong's kin will feel they _must_ repay you for what you've done, and one is all you need to go home." He looked at Numair and grinned in that lascivious way that only Rikash could do. "Well, it may take two. There's so much extra of one of you."

Daine smiled, sharing the joke at Numair's expense. "How do we find them?" she asked.

The Stormwing looked at Weiryn, "I'm sure a map can be drawn – unless you plan to cage them?" _Nice touch_ Numair thought, echoing the badger's remark to him, albeit silently.

"Da, Ma, please listen," pleaded Daine. "Humans and People _need _us. I've friends that would risk their lives for me and Numair. If you won't help us, then we'll muddle along on our own – but we can't just sit here, seeing them in visions, and laze about." Numair reached for her hand and squeezed it a second time.

Weiryn sighed and rubbed his antlers. "No – no, I won't cage them."

"Not even a day I've had to talk to you," Sarra said, drawing his gaze. There were tears on her cheeks and she wiped them. "But I know you can't sit idly by when them that you care for are in trouble."

"Lord Rikash," Queenclaw interjected, "they will need help to cross the Sea of Sand."

Rikash sidled, digging into his perch with steel claws. "I will see what can be done. It will take persuasion." He looked from Daine to Numair, frowning. "_Be careful,"_ he told them. "The Divine realms are perilous. Maybe Queen Barzha is right and I am getting sentimental, but I would hate to see anything happen to either of you." He gave them each a wink and jumped into the air, taking flight and blowing waves of stench over the table.

"Forget sentimentality," the badger grumbled. "_I'd _like to see him lose that _smell."_

"And from a badger, that's saying a great deal," quipped Queenclaw. Numair stifled the urge to laugh.

"I will go with them," said Broad Foot. Everybody stared at him. Numair couldn't imagine why he was being so kind. For the second time, he wondered if helpfulness was a trait of his kind or if Broad Foot had just taken to them for some reason. "I can't transport them, but I can act as guide and protector. The three of us should manage."

"The _four_ of us," the badger corrected. "I will come as well. I haven't put so much time into looking after this young one to stop now."

Numair looked at Sarra, who was still crying silently, and then at Weiryn. It was a shame to take Daine from them so soon. "Lord Weiryn," Numair asked, "will you and Sarra come with us?"

Daine's mother smiled wistfully. "As a new goddess, I'm bound to Weiryn's lands for a century."

"As am I, for requesting her admittance here," added Weiryn. "You will do well with the badger and Broad Foot."

"If we're to leave today, I'd best get a little extra hunting done," commented the duckmole, who vanished promptly.

"I will join you tomorrow morning," the badger said. "There are a _few_ things to deal with at my sett before I go." He also vanished.

"Ma, Da," Daine began, "are there horses we might trade for, or buy? We'd go faster than afoot."

"No, dear one," Sarra replied, "Every horse in the Divine Realms belongs to itself, or its herd. They do not serve anyone." She rose. "I'd best pack your things – No, Daine, I don't need your help. You'd only be in my way." Numair wondered if she didn't also want the chance to cry in solitude.

"Besides," added Weiryn, who also stood, "I need you both to come with me."

"What about making horses?" Numair asked. "Could you –"

"No," Weiryn said flatly. "Any being created in the Divine Realms belongs to itself and serves no one else. You would be lucky if such a horse only dumped you in the dirt. It _might _take you for a ride that would last a century of mortal time."

In the main room, he opened a door that they had never seen before. This was not the library room, but a small, dark chamber that was more like a shed than a room. There were woodcarver's tools, staffs, boxes of feathers, boxes of arrowheads, coiled strings, and completed bows.

Weiryn ran long brown fingers over the finished weapons, checking the feel, rejecting this one, and that. "These are my gifts to those I favor." He selected an ebony-colored bow with nearly white nocks over both tips. "And if my own daughter isn't one I favor, who _is_?" He laid the stave across his palms, and offered it to Daine.

She took it, studying it. Weiryn offered a string and Daine strung it in a flash. "She's sweet, Da," she told him, smiling.

The god offered her a quiver full of arrows. "I should have given you a proper bow long before this," he told her, wrapping extra strings in a square of oiled cloth.

Handing that to Daine, he went to the staffs in the corner. "Here, mage." Numair chuckled to himself that Weiryn was back to referring to him as "mage". Weiryn selected a staff that was six feet of thick, knotted wood. About to hand it over, he frowned. "A moment." He looked at Numair, then cupped the top of the staff in one hand. White fire shone from his palm; when he drew it away, a fist sized crystal knob sat on top of the staff, embedded in the wood. He gave the staff to Numair, who took it and stood for a moment, one hand wrapped around the wood, the other around the crystal. He tested it with his magic, reveling in the powerful amplification it offered. The staff itself was both a weapon and a fine walking stick. The wood offered some amplification as well. He looked at Weiryn with respect. Even if the God didn't like him, he seemed to recognize that Numair would be watching out for his daughter. "Thank you. I've never had something that was so – attuned -- to me."

Weiryn scowled and went to a wooden counter along one wall. "Come here, both of you." An inkpot and brush appeared on the surface next to him. The god wet the brush, and began to paint symbols directly onto the wood. "Here we are," he said, tapping the brush against a painted square. "Here's the stream and the pond where Broad Foot stays. And this is the path you must follow."

Numair could see trees and streams appear momentarily, turning back to symbols or dots in a heartbeat. This was much better than the cartography kit he had given Daine. He wondered if he might someday be able to spell ink do work this well.

"If you walk steadily, you will spend the night beside Temptation Lake," Weiryn informed them, drawing that body of water close to the trail. "Do _not_ drink from it – unless you desire to be tempted of course."

A vision of Numair reclining among three naked, lovely women who fed him grapes, or rubbed his feet, or finger-combed his hair, filled the air over the counter. The three women were all past lovers. It was a last shot from the earlier argument and it was very effective. Numair blushed deeply.

"Not funny, Da," Daine said dryly.

"Neither of us is in the mood for temptation, Lord Weiryn," Numair said quietly, hoping that Daine had not recognized any of the women.

"Hmpf," snorted the god. It was amazing how much Weiryn could say in one guttural sound. "Well, just don't drink the water there. It's a good place to stop – no dweller of the Divine Realms may harm another within a league of Temptation Lake." He rewet his brush and continued to draw. "The trail will carry you to Long Drop Gorge, which you will cross on the First Bridge." Briefly they glimpsed a wood-and-rope bridge in the air over the counter, like the bridges that filled the mountains of Tortall and Galla.

Weiryn continued the line of the path for an inch or two, then stopped to create a blurred area around it. "This is Mauler's Swamp." The vision in the air over the map showed a pair of yellow, slit pupiled eyes sticking out of murky water. They moved. A ripple of passing square ridges like those on a crocodile's back cut through the image of water, followed by the snakeline curing of a long tail. "Give no offense to Mauler, if you can avoid it."

"Here is the Stonemaze." The vision was one of rocky canyons and a distant, small river, as seen from high overhead. "Watch your footing, never leave the path in the maze, and harm no stones.

"Lord Weiryn," Numair said, "it would help if you were to explain what will happen if we make a mistake in these places."

Weiryn looked at him, green eyes glinting dangerously. "Who can tell?" he asked. "The gods in most places never punish a trespass in the same manner twice. Mauler once ate the mortals who disturbed his afternoon nap, but that was a while ago. He may not choose to eat the next intruder. Of course, he may have young to share his swamp, and they always need a meal. Just use caution. Cut no green wood. Take no fruits without asking the bush or tree. If you don't, you might spend a century with wild pigs trying to dig you up by the roots. Blackberries in particular have a nasty streak."

"Wonderful," Daine whispered sarcastically.

"Where was I?" asked her father. He rewet his brush, and sketched another blurred area on the wood. "Oh, yes. At last you will come to the Sea of Sand." The vision revealed dunes; for a moment, Numair's face was hot and painfully dry. "If the Stormwing can't find help, the winds will strip your body of moisture in the time it takes your mother's pan bread to bake. Don't you see what folly this is?" he demanded, eyes on Daine. "The Divine Realms are too dangerous for a pair of mortals.

"We will have Broad Foot, and the badger," Numair said. "And we have protected ourselves from time to time. Mortals have survived in the Divine Realms before." He quickly reviewed in his mind every spell he knew to seal their skin against dehydration.

Weiryn sighed. "That's what I thought you would say." His brush and ink pot disappeared. Palms down, he tapped the inked surface of the wood. "At least I can tell Sarra that I tried." Numair smiled at his softly. He understood. Like bark that was barely attached to its parent tree, the surface with the map cracked away from the wood, thinned until it could have been heavy parchment, and rolled itself up. Weiryn gave it to Numair. "You need not fear that it will go to pieces, or that water will smear the marks," he said grumpily.

Daine leaned over and kissed the god's forehead. "Thanks, Da.

-

-"


	15. Chapter 15 Departure

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it than you probably know already it's Tamora Pierce's and if you don't well – IQ test results must be traumatic for you.**

_A/N: Just for those interested, Baldwin is a type of apple that dates back to the beginning of apples. We have many varieties now due to hybridization but I wanted one that could be historical._

_Mages Whisper: Sorry to make going to work even harder, but I'm glad you like my stories. I'll have to check out some of your stuff if I get the chance today._

_Goldeneyedwildmage: Sadly, I liked that line. But I will entertain replacing it. Any suggestions?_

_Sarramaks: You've hit on one of the hardest things about doing stories like this. Numair and Daine are together a lot in this story too. Often I just type the book and then go back over and change things or add them. It can be tedious. It is much more simple to just write my own stuff. But this is a good exercise in discipline. The darking in the pocket is below._

_Bitterosemary: Glad you liked that line. I love how perverse Weiryn is throughout. He does give a sort of blessing below, but it's done in the style only he would use._

_Purple Eyed Cat: Temptation Lake is chapter 16. But you'll like the extras in here. I always thought there was a specific reason for bowing to the tree, so I included it._

_**Chapter 15 – Departure**_

Weiryn went to clean his brush and Daine and Numair stood waiting in the work room, still in awe of their weapons and the map and everything Weiryn had told them of what was to come. Numair looked at Daine speculatively. "I should – if you -- if you wanted to stay you still could," he said very softly, looking at his boots.

He could almost hear her temper flare. "We're going home – together," she said firmly.

He lifted his gaze to settle on hers and he smiled subtly. "It's very wrong for me to divulge this, but -- I'm glad," he said. Her blue eyes searched his and a smile lit her face. It was the closest he had been in a long time to confessing. "Your father is right though – you are safer here and …"

"You are fair strange sometimes, you know that?" she said looking slightly perturbed and amused all at the same time. "And have you forgotten the tauros?"

He reached to brush her hair from her face, but pulled his hand back. The words were all right there. He could just open his mouth and tell her. But his jaw remained stubbornly closed. Then Weiryn walked back into the room and urged them out.

Broad Foot was on the table of the main room, dripping wet. "Are we ready?" he asked.

Sarra stepped forward. Her face was, for the moment, dry. She held two cloaks, a smaller blue one for Daine, and a larger black one for Numair. They donned them, and then she produced packs.

Numair turned to the duckmole speculatively. This was not a creature made for walking distance. "How do you want to do this? You can't use your power to move us and – forgive me – I doubt that you can walk at our pace," he said.

The duckmole turned his gaze to Numair's shirt and he felt it squirm like something was crawling on him. He startled. The shirt twisted and a pouch formed right over his abdomen. Broadfoot disappeared in a cloud of silver and reappeared in the pouch. He looked back and up at Numair. "The view from here should be very nice," he answered. Sarra and Daine giggled. "Mind you don't bump me." It was a nice solution. Tkaa used a pouch to transport Kit around. Numair smiled down at the duckmole.

Numair watched Sarra hug Daine. "You'll come to stay a bit when your war is settled?" the goddess asked the girl.

"I will ma. I just don't know when that will be," she answered.

"We'll know. We'll come for you on the holiday that's closest." Sarra seemed to stare at her daughter. "You'll visit for a season or two?"

"I'll come ma.

"Promise?"

"I promise. We – we'll catch up on the time them bandits took from us," Daine said and squeezed her mother tightly. Numair watched them silently, dreading that time when Daine would come back and he would be without her. He saw tears glisten in both Daine's and Sarra's eyes.

Daine turned to say goodbye to Weiryn and Sarra turned to Numair – something he hadn't expected. "You take good care of my girl," she said fiercely.

"I will," he promised.

She looked up into his eyes and smiled warmly and whispered, "Don't worry about Weiryn. He likes you – even if he doesn't want to. You've been good to Daine and he knows it. Come see us again." She patted his shoulder.

"I have enjoyed meeting you, Sarra," he said politely.

Weiryn opened the door and they filed outside. Weiryn stared grumpily at Numair and then he heard Weiryn's voice in his head say, "_Daine could do a lot worse than you."_ It wasn't exactly a blessing, but it would do. Numair smiled at him and bowed his head.

"Straight down the path," Broad Foot instructed. "We've a couple hours of light still."

Numair took the lead, glancing over his shoulder once at Daine. She looked slightly sad and he thought about putting an arm around her. It wasn't practical though and they needed to get as far as possible.

They walked quietly. Numair was nervously thinking about everything Weiryn had said would be along the way. He half wondered if he shouldn't be requesting permission from the path to walk on it.

The Divine Realm was beautiful, and it was amazing to see it this way. If the need weren't so desperate, he would have loved to really just study everything. They descended into a mountain forest. There were flowers of numerous varieties growing along the path. Trees and shrubs were scattered through the forests as if they had been planted by someone in an effort to landscape the perfect woodland scene. He could picture Volney Rain, an artist he and Daine both knew, setting up his easel and sketching madly in an effort to capture everything perfectly before the light faded. He could hear bird songs and the babble of a brook somewhere. It seemed like the perfect place to be on a warm June day. But he knew underneath it all was a war – or was that two wars? The war he was leaving for was one that was picking off friends, one by one. And then there was the Divine war. Uusoae was fighting with her sisters and brothers. He supposed it was a nearby bumble bee that had reminded him. He vaguely began to rethink the dream of the night before.

As he pondered it, he became aware that the light had dimmed much earlier than he expected. They were in a dark hollow shaded by the largest white oak tree he had ever encountered. It seemed to stretch into infinity. The bole had to be at least seven feet in diameter. "Goddess Bless," he said with awe as he stopped to stare.

"She is the first tree," Broad Foot explained from his place in Numair's shirt pouch. "From her acorns, the first mortal white oaks were born."

"_Her?"_ Numair asked gazing down at Broad Foot.

"She is a god. She is aware."

Numair looked up again and wondered where the goddess of apple trees might be found. He stepped back, holding Broad Foot away from him so that he could bow reverently. He offered the tree a silent prayer. _If I had known – I should have paid tribute to you for taking one of your kind and creating one of Tristan Staghorn._

He heard an answer in his mind that surprised him. It was slow, as if the speaker had eons in which to say it. _–You are forgiven, human. Tristan has a century to learn of his mistakes. He would have poisoned all of mine and now he is one of us. But Baldwin, he has a strange existence. He is a gardener now.—_

_Baldwin?_ Numair thought. _Is that the tree that is now a human? Where?_

_-Worry not. He has my blessings, as do you.-_

Numair straightened, irresolute, unable to utter a sound or even move for his heavy thoughts. But they were interrupted by a strange squeaking. "What's that noise?" he asked.

"What noise?" chorused Broad Foot and Daine.

Numair moved closer to Daine, hand cupped around one ear and bent. "Easy there," Broad Foot cautioned. Numair thought the sound was coming from Daine's pack. So he gave the girl a half turn and pressed his ear against it. The squeak became a shrill that was loud enough for the whole party to hear.

Numair opened one of the pack's side pockets and removed a clay jar sealed with wax and the little creature that Daine had defended at lunch. He held the blot up to eye level and asked, "Now where did you come from?"

"Is it the one that's been following me about Da's?" Daine asked.

The little creature reformed itself liquidly until it had a head. It nodded.

"Were you in my pack by accident?" Daine asked the creature.

Now it shook its head vigorously.

"You _wanted_ to come?" she asked.

The inky creature nodded again.

"Pop it in here then," she said, pulling open breast pocket and nodding to Numair. He hesitated. He didn't know what this creature was, and he felt like his hand shouldn't be anywhere near her breast pocket. It was one of those thoughts that led to all kinds of things Weiryn might put an arrow in him for thinking. He dropped the creature in her pocket cautiously. "Now we've each got a passenger," she said. She smiled, her mouth inches from Numair's. He could just lean forward a little and brush her soft pink lips with his own. He could almost taste the kiss that he longed for so much. Daine inhaled sharply and brought him to his senses.

He straightened abruptly. "We shouldn't dawdle," he said and forced himself down the path at a brisk stride. "We've got a lot of ground to cover."

-_Nearly forgot I was here, didn't you?- _Broad Foot said sarcastically in mindspeak.

"Yes," he whispered contritely. "And I nearly forgot my resolve."

-_One of these days you will.-_

"I hope you're wrong. I intend to be strong and wait." Broad Foot couldn't laugh, but Numair could have sworn the duckmole was doing just that.

-

-

Up next – temptation lake


	16. Chapter 16 Temptation Lake

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's Tamora Pierce's.**

_A/N: _

_Sunfish Sailor: Oh, yes. He's weakening quickly. Thanks for the compliments._

_Silverlake: Thanks. I'm an obsessive updater._

_Nativewildmage: Thanks!_

_WhyshouldItellyou: Funny name! I'm an obsessive updater. I have been on since 10/24/05 and this is my eighth story. It's my 108th chapter. Yikes!_

_Alanna Cooper: Thanks!_

_Kit49: Thanks. I hear so many people say that Numair isn't as manly as some others. They apparently missed the part where he's tom-catting around with women of the court. I think he's just a really deep character, but all man – and a delicious one at that._

_Goldeneyedwildmage: I liked the first part of your replacement sentence, but I wanted something minorly funny. So I'm going to contemplate a while more. You are so close to what I did at Temptation Lake, as you will see. He was not even aware of the water. He was very bespelled._

_Hoshi-ko88: I assume your favorite part was the kissing scene?_

_Narms Briton 44: Thank you so much. Wow, you prefer my style of writing to TP's? Damn. This is kind of boring in some ways. And no, I have no plans to do anymore fics after this. I might drop by and do some one shots, but my next project is my own book. After it's done, then maybe I'll come do some more._

_Purple Eyed Cat: I have never even heard of this book of stories you were talking about. TP doesn't have it listed on her website. Now I'm dying to know. If you see it again, can you message me with the name?_

_Sarramaks: I assume you are planning to do roughly the same thing in your next story. I can't wait to read it. I'm glad you liked my Weiryn. He was a twisty character to write._

_**Chapter 16 – Temptation Lake**_

They walked until well past dark with the assistance of magical light focused through Numair's staff. When at last they came upon a body of water that was either a large pond or a small lake, Numair stopped.

"Temptation Lake?" he asked, looking out over the expanse. It wasn't that much larger than the pond where a tauros came after Daine earlier in the day.

"Yes, indeed," Broad Foot said, "And I could do with a swim."

He heard Daine sigh happily from behind him and he turned to watch her drop her pack, bow, and quiver. She looked very weary but she smiled to him. In the half light from his staff, she looked more beautiful than ever and he nearly told her as much but held his tongue at the last second. He lifted Broad Foot from his shirt pouch and placed him on the ground before removing his own pack. Thinking of the tauros attack he asked, "Broad Foot, if I bespell our camp for protection, will it inconvenience you?"

Broad Foot clapped his bill in a sort of laugh. _Maybe he can laugh._ "No, not in the least. Though you don't _need _to spell it – Temptation Lake is sacred. No one of the Divine Realms would harm anyone here. If anything _does_ happen, mind," he added, looking at them soberly, "just call or think my name, and I'll come. And remember – don't drink the water." He vanished in a silver cloud of light.

Numair gave his pack to Daine and went to dig the privy. Even if they were too tired for words, they could count on the comfortable pattern of setting up and breaking down camp as they worked perfectly in tandem. She would set up the bed rolls. He would dig the privy and spell the camp. Tonight there would be no fire. But the chill mountain evening could make sleeping uncomfortable, especially since Daine would not have her animal bedmates to keep her warm. He planned to take care of that too. He began to gather rocks and place them in a circle around their things.

Numair moved quickly, despite the fact that he was fatigued. He walked counterclockwise around his circle spreading angelroot powder as he did so. "Sodut ot pervney. Vigik ot pervney. Nojei," he muttered. It was the most powerful protection spell he knew. When he finished the first circle, he could already feel the magic settling in. A silence fell. He walked a second circle and spoke again, "Qirek dost calenti, Nojei." The rocks began to glow faintly. He walked the third circle, sending black sparkling light after him. "Sodut ot prolefna," he continued and when the third circle closed, "So mote it be." The sign of his magic vanished except for the warmly glowing stones.

He sat where he would be sleeping and tugged off his boots. "We're shielded from sight and sound," he said. He wished they were shielded from gods as well, but he did not have that power. It was silly, he knew, but after hearing what things like "Mauler" could do he was suddenly having a hard time thinking of gods as benevolent.

"And the rocks?" Daine asked.

He knew she would ask because it was summer. "We only have one blanket and a cloak each. You know I don't like to get cold," he said with a weary smile. It was true, although he had done this more for her than himself. The stones were giving off a comfortable heat. He rolled his cloak into a pillow and pulled his blanket around him tightly, turning his back to her. "Good night Magelet," he said.

"Good night, Numair," she said.

But as tired as he was, he didn't fall immediately to sleep. He couldn't. He kept thinking about how strange the day had been and how he had come so close to revealing everything twice. In the past three months, he had found a pattern to cope with his love for Daine. He had learned to keep his face passive and his emotions hidden. He had learned to let Daine talk to other men without becoming aggressive and overly protective. But now that hope had resurrected in him so brazenly, he was finding it harder and harder to resist her again. It was not wise. He knew all the reasons for keeping his secret and those reasons were still sound. He couldn't lose his resolve now. He hoped the duckmole wouldn't turn out to be right.

Numair could hear Daine's breathing level off and knew she was sleeping. He turned over and watched her sleep for awhile, until somehow his thoughts melted into dreams.

He was standing in the room where the Great Gods were fighting Uusoae again. He turned to his left and saw that his father was again there with him, mouth tightly closed. He turned back to the circle where Uusoae had shifted into a creeping, thorny vine. The multicolored vine tried to sneak through and between each of the Great Gods, but was stopped by the white fire barrier that surrounded them. Uusoae shifted in a flash to become a water spout. The force of the twisting wind nearly pulled Kidunka in. Drops of water escaped and were drawn back in by the combined efforts of the other gods, reining Uusoae in, but only temporarily. In an eye blink, Uusoae was now a kraken. Multi-colored tentacles reached for each of the Great Gods, strangling them. Uusoa seemed so much stronger than the others and Mithros' face changed color from the force of her strangling. So busy were the Gods with her frontal attack that they did not notice the hundreds of purple and orange cockroaches that spilled from beneath her, and ran in all directions to swarm over the room and the world beyond.

The scene shifted and Numair was back at the towers. He was trying to climb down a ladder on the multi-colored tower, but it kept growing and growing and he gained no ground. Faster and faster he tried to climb, even sliding down the ladder at some points. He looked over to the golden tower which was diminished and growing smaller. In his dream he shifted to hawk shape and swooped to the bottom where he now saw Gainel. The Great God had been torn in half and lay there, a gruesome, bleeding mess, but not dead. Gainel's left half was moving, lifting something. It was an hour glass. The sand in the top was spilling in multiple colors to the bottom glass. More than half of the time it was marking was gone.

His dream self shifted to human and turned to find his father standing there. "Why am I here," he asked his father. "If time is running out, what is time running out for?"

Salam Draper only turned his back to his son. "Father," he said, "You turned your back on me a long time ago. If you want something from me now, you need only ask. Don't keep torturing me."

His father remained turned away and said, "This is not my kind of fight, but it is yours. This is what you are good at. This is what you were born to do. It was what I should have seen in you all along." Then the man turned to face him and he had no eyes. He was clearly blind.

Numair awoke abruptly. It was before dawn. He sat up and rubbed his face, uncertain of all the messages included in the complicated dream. It was not that weird to think of his father as blind. In many ways his father _was_ blind – blind to the power that Numair had and the uses for it, blind to the world outside of textiles, blind to his wife's unhappiness. If Numair were honest with himself, it was the biggest motivation keeping him from confessing his love to Daine. His mother was so unhappy. Many arranged marriages worked out alright. He had seen couples who grew to love one another over time. But his parents never did. His mother had once told him that she believed herself in love with Salam when she married him, because she wanted to make him happy. But the truth was that neither had ever loved the other. And then there was the age difference. Ultimately, his father had died, leaving his mother alone. It was what Daine could expect if she ever found room in her heart for Numair, for he would surely die before her.

Daine was still sleeping soundly. Despite all the sound arguments, he wanted so much to be part of her future. He watched her for a moment longingly and decided that would not be the way to start the morning. He crawled out of his blanket and dressed. Then he packed his things. He removed the spelled rocks, breaking the circle and the enchantment and walked to the water's edge. He couldn't drink the water, but he could wash his face and check on his friends.

He knelt at the bank and, having splashed some of the cool water on himself, he called up the image of Kitten. She was sleeping soundly on a cot in Tkaa's room. She had survived the onslaught he had witnessed before. He almost laughed with relief.

He called up an image of Jon next. He was also asleep with his head on his desk and papers stuck to his face. _Poor Jon. He's exhausted._

And then Numair called up an image of Raoul – who had also apparently survived. He was lying in a cot in an infirmary. There were bandages on his face and arms. He looked to be badly injured. A young healer scurried into the picture to check on him. Numair saw her smile and that told him everything.

Last, he called up an image of Alanna. She was cleaning her sword and looking worried about something. He could see her open her own bracelet and stare at the pictures of her children and husband, blowing a kiss to each. The image shimmered with swirls of color. Though the sun was beginning to rise, it didn't seem to be reflection. The mix of yellow, orange and purple seemed familiar. And then he realized it was like his dream had been. He was certain that he should not see Chaos' colors in this lake.

He bent closer and reached into the water with his Gift, checking for anything unusual. There was something wrong about the water. While he tried to figure out what he was seeing, he heard Daine laugh. He looked up and she was there, just a few feet from him. She laughed again. _I love that laugh._ The lake disappeared, but he wasn't concerned. _I must still be asleep after all_, he thought. Daine was removing her clothing and beckoning to him. It was something that could happen in his sleep and he smiled at her and followed willingly.

There was a strange music and he didn't know where it came from, but it didn't matter. Daine wanted him. She kept beckoning and he followed obediently. Somehow the air seemed to become thick and walking was difficult, but he kept following. Daine was completely undressed and kissed the air in front of her flirtatiously. So he walked faster, despite the resistance of the heavy atmosphere. _Why does her hair look silver?_ he thought mildly. It didn't seem to matter. It was only a dream after all. He was floating to her now, eagerly contemplating her. His mind went numb and he was so cold, but Daine would warm him. _Beautiful Daine._

Something heavy struck him. His mind spun as he tried to find something concrete to grasp about where he was and what he was doing. And again, something struck him painfully. He cried out and inhaled water. He was in the lake. He thrashed wildly, trying to break the surface. Something pushed him from beneath, something that looked extremely like a seal lion. And then Daine was there again and undressed. She put an arm around him and dragged him to the surface while his thick mind tried to understand what had happened to him. He felt the bottom of lake beneath him and Daine let go. She raced to the edge and began to vomit violently in the reeds.

He too pulled himself out, dizzy from the lack of oxygen and confused about what had just taken place. And a vision of another Daine began to play around his eyes – he had inhaled lake water and he knew what was wrong now. He pulled himself to the reeds and induced vomiting.

A flash of silver light flared and the badger appeared. "What has happened here?" he asked, surveying the scene.

"I'm not entirely sure," Numair answered. "I was somehow drawn into the lake and Daine pulled me out. My head hasn't completely cleared yet. I'm having trouble sorting reality."

The badger breathed on him with a puff of silver. His breath was atrocious. But it somehow cleared Numair's head. He could sort reality out now and the things he thought he had dreamed seemed very strange now. The woman he thought was Daine was silver haired and blue, but otherwise looked to him just like her. He remembered a strange song too. He heard Daine's familiar steps and said, "I think I hear –" he had turned as he said it to see Daine approaching, wearing only her badger claw necklace. He felt himself blush and he averted his eyes.

"Oh for –" she cried. He heard her scramble in her pack for clothes. The badger was sneezing repeatedly. Soon he could hear her behind a tree as she shouted a conversation she had just had with Broad Foot. "He says the whole lake is tainted with Chaos Bile. It's dangerous to gods and immortals because it brings them closer to Uusoae and he says the lake is very popular."

The badger shifted his feet anxiously. "He's right," the badger said. "Uusoae could have numerous allies from this."

"What did you think you were doing, Numair?" the girl asked.

"I was enchanted. There was no _free-will_ involved in my actions," he answered.

He nervously contemplated everything that the badger and Broad Foot had said. It was not the kind of news Numair wanted to hear right now. He went and gathered up Daine's boots and when she emerged from behind a tree, she was dressed and carrying her stockings. He handed her the boots.

She fixed a stern eye on him. "Are you _sure_ you didn't drink from the lake?" she asked in nearly a whisper. "That creature looked to me like a blue, naked female with a big chest, until Broad Foot changed my vision. She looked like _just_ the kind of female you might want to be tempted by, Master Salmalin."

He blushed, thinking of who he had thought it looked like. "I give you my solemn word that I did not drink the lake water and request temptation," he answered. It had been a long time since Daine had referred to him as "Master Salmalin" and even longer since he had been with any women that looked like she had described. Apparently she hadn't noticed that it had been nearly a year since he had bedded any women. He combed his wet hair back with his fingers nervously. "I tested it with my Gift, and sensed there was something very wrong with it. You know, Magelet, the gods may be losing ground against Chaos."

Broad Foot had arrived and was talking softly to the badger. Hearing Numair, they broke off their conference and came over. "What makes you think so?" asked the badger, dark eyes sharp.

"I know my legends and myths," he explained. "The creators of the universe ordained that the gods, who stand for order, and Chaos, who stands for –"

"Chaos," Daine interrupted with a smile.

Numair tweaked her nose without even realizing it. "They must stay in balance. The only problem is that it's the nature of each to fight the other. It's written that a day will come with the Queen of Chaos will break free of the prison made for her by her siblings, the Great Gods."

"When that day comes, the mortal and divine realms will melt into Chaos. The gods – all gods – will perish, as will mortal life." Broad Foot's voice was grim.

"You know your legends well, human," remarked the badger. Though it was a compliment, it brought Numair no satisfaction. He decided not to say anything about the dreams.

"I have to report this," the duckmole told them. "It's more than just he lake being poisoned. The creature that had you captive was no part of this place. It was a Chaos dweller, masked as a lake being. How one of _them_ managed to escape into the Divine Realms… You start without me – I'll catch up." Without another word, he vanished.

-

-

Okay, respond


	17. Chapter 17 The First Bridge

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it belongs to Tamora Pierce.**

_A/N: Okay, there's some stuff added that was just mentioned in passing here and more on his family. For all who wanted to know, yesterday's magic words were made up by yours truly. My imagination is a little too vivid at times._

_I have to ask, has anyone noticed that Numair's dreams aren't the same. There's no scale and the creatures are different. No one has commented on that part._

_Hoshi-ko88: Here's another good scene. You'll like the hug stuff at the end._

_Nativewildmage: Thanks_

_Purple Eyed Cat: I look forward to it._

_Silverlake: Thank you very much._

_Blackandwhiteroses: I figured they did. But they aren't supposed to interfere in human emotions and free-will. Ain't I tricky?_

_Alanna Cooper: I assume that means you liked it._

_Bitterosemary: I made up the language. It was a culmination of the bits and pieces of five languages I can speak some of and my own weird imagination. I'm glad you liked my interpretation. I was wondering how everyone would feel about being inside the enchantment._

_Goldeneyedwildmage: Early birthday present. I'm a Gemini. I slid more stuff into this and it is consequently a long chapter for me._

_Sarramaks: I know there's supposed to be a Numair Early Years and I've probably taken him an entirely different direction. But since I can't read how she's envisioned it for two years, I'm not going to worry. Maybe I won't be that far off. Thanks for rereading it and letting me know it flows like I hope. I do have mention of that little fact in this chapter too, so it was cool that you noticed it._

_Narm's Briton 44: My book is going to be called "Something Special" and it is fantasy/sci-fi set on a planet similar to earth but with two moons. It's got the magic aspect and some of that will be familiar. I was dying to play with the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter thing. So that is what the main character is. But while everyone around her has magic, she seems to have none. Her mother gave her a name meaning special and then was disappointed severely when she wasn't. Thinking that maybe it was messed up because two of her sisters were twins, mom tries to have one more child and ends up with a boy and she dies in child birth. The main character and sibs were left to their aunt, who is a real bitch. She sells the youngest child into slavery and arranges a marriage for the main character who is 13. The girl overhears her aunt making these arrangements and says, "She's nothing special." So she leaves, intent on finding her brother and a place where she might be something special._

_Numair didn't technically request temptation because he had no intention of drinking the water and when he followed Daine, he didn't even see water. He doesn't only think about her, but he does think about her most and he returns to thinking about her almost invariably. It's like having that prize that you want but aren't allowed to touch follow you everywhere. It makes you obsessive and it this point, he is a little obsessive. Don't worry, he will get over it._

_I've been meaning to ask you, how crowded is Numair in your closet? I mean, if I kept him chained in mine he would be most uncomfortable (small space, low ceiling). Heheheee._

_**Chapter 17: The First Bridge**_

Numair went to change into dry clothes, deciding to save his magic in case there was another problem. While he changed, he kept thinking about the chaos demon in the lake. It wasn't supposed to be there. It seemed to him that there could be no alternative. Somehow, Chaos was winning. He wished there was something he could do. If she destroyed everything, he could do nothing but stand by helplessly watching, like all mortals. There would be no afterlife, there would be no world, and there would be no divine realm if she won this war. It was the kind of information Mortals weren't meant to carry, because if they were helpless to stop it, they could drive themselves insane while wondering when the end would come.

Daine was packing and began to fill Numair in on what he had missed. "Just before I woke up I had a dream about Ozorne. He was quarreling with some of the stormwings that follow him. They were unhappy about losses. But, of course, there's other groups that are just as crazy as he is that didn't seem to mind."

"It's too bad they couldn't rebel," he said from behind the tree where he was changing. "Our side needs a little good fortune."

"Don't I know it," she said. "So anyway," she continued, "when I actually woke up and realized you were up and packed I looked around for you and saw you striding into the water. The lady-thing was singing some kind of strange song to draw you in. I tried to stop you and ended up shifting to sea lion form."

"Did you crash into me?" he asked. There was evidence of that. Not only had he felt some kind of impact when he started to come out of his trance, but also his chest was badly bruised. Sore and swollen areas of dark purple had begun to form on his swarthy skin. Numair would likely be very sore by the time they stopped again. It was best to get going now and get as far as they could before the pain really set in.

"Yes, twice. Broad Foot thought it would bring you around. Did I hurt you?"

"Not too badly," he said stepping out from behind the tree. She handed him a cup of tea which he drank quickly. "I think we should get moving as soon as possible. The dreams I have here – they need us, Daine." He sat down beside her to eat his breakfast. She reached out and grabbed a lock of his loose hair, twining it softly around her fingers, and sending shivers down his spine. He stared too long again.

"You're tired," she said with a grin. "You're staring at nothing."

_I'm staring at everything,_ he corrected silently. "Sorry," he said aloud, drawing his gaze to the ground.

"Would you like me to tie your hair back?" she asked.

He nodded and then came to his senses. "No, I can do it.

She laughed. "Can't decide this morning?"

"I think I should get moving. A little more of this conversation and you'll start to think my mental capacities are diminished. I'm just – I'm feeling foolish for getting enchanted by the chaos demon and I'm worried."

"That's okay. You can make mistakes and I won't think less of you – s'long as I get the same allowance," she said, smiling earnestly.

"Of course, Magelet." He beamed at her. He picked up a hair brush and began to straighten his hair. But she took over, while he tried not to react to her touch. She quickly put his hair into a horse tail. The badger watched them silently, sneezing once.

"Speaking of mistakes," the girl said. "I nearly got caught in a chaos vent. It's a bad idea to look into them. They draw you. If Broad Foot hadn't yelled for me to wake up, I probably would have crawled right in the thing."

The badger looked alarmed and went to examine the vent, while Daine and Numair cleaned up from breakfast and finished breaking camp.

Before long, Numair was ready to go, but Daine was still hunting for the darking. The small creature seemed to have disappeared during the night. He knew she'd hate to lose her new pet, but they needed to get moving. "We have to go," he warned apologetically. "We can't spend the day searching for it."

"I know," she responded. "I think it does too. I just hope it didn't fall in the lake."

When the badger rejoined them, Numair and Daine shouldered their packs and began to walk. But there in the path was a black, shimmering pool that stood out in contrast to the stand. "Is that you?" she asked. "Did you come back?"

It seemed to split in two. Half moved liquidly to her and reached up with small tentacles like a child begging for its mother to pick it up. The other thrust up a head and tilted it to one side as if studying the scene. Daine picked up the first one and cupped it in her hand. "You brought a friend?" she asked. The darking grew a head and nodded fervently.

"More of those?" grumbled the badger. "Don't they have anything else to do?" Both darkings shook their heads.

Daine gave Numair her bow with a big smile and leaned down to pick up the second one. "I don't know where you two will sit though," she said. The first one trickled up her arm and curled around her neck, like a strange necklace. The other rolled up her arm until it could drip into her belt purse. "I guess we're set," she told her companions.

Numair smirked as the badger grumbled some more. He returned Daine's bow and took the lead. He realized it was something they never discussed. He could always count on her to watch their backs and she knew that he would be watchful of the path. It was actually another sign of how well they worked together and one of those that made him think there was a small chance she might want to be with him someday.

It was another nearly silent trek. Numair was locked in his own head, contemplating people he had given little thought to in the last few years – his family. Seeing his father over and over in his dreams was strange. He had grieved slightly at hearing of his death. But he had not been there. He had stayed away as had been requested of him. The truth was he had been sent away at the age of ten, and though he had visited, he had never really returned. He had younger siblings he did not even know. He knew their names. He had a brother named Marid who was nine years younger, and a sister named Kalila who was the same age as Daine, though they were nothing alike. There had been another sister, Salmah, though she had died six months after her birth. That had been very hard on his mother and he had not been there to help her through it. He still sent money to his mother and they exchanged news though it seemed almost forced. Kalila had been betrothed and married at 14. Marid took over the family business and seemed to have inherited their father's gift for draping. He was so far removed from them, that he did not feel they were family and he hardly thought about them.

The realization that Kalila had been married for two years left him feeling strange. He had written to her a couple of times. She only responded once. She was not happy. He had never heard if there were nieces or nephews yet. He wondered if he could look in on them from here, or if he would even recognize them if he tried. Also, Tyra was at war too. They had been unable to send any troops to help Jon because they had their own battles.

He decided that if Daine left to stay with her family in the divine realms, he should go and see his family in Tyra. Maybe it was time to try to build some kind of relationship with them. And it might take his mind of Daine's absence.

They were nearly finished with lunch when Broad Foot returned to them. He was very frustrated. "They barely wanted to listen," he said pacing back and forth in the clearing they were seated in.

"But you did finally get to tell them? What was the outcome?" Daine asked.

"Not good, not good. They placed a ban on the lake, but they won't be looking into the matter of those who have been tainted. I think –" he came to a halt and sighed. "I think it is all they can do to hold the barriers against her."

Numair's mind reeled. This was really too much. He began to clean up furiously fast and suggested, "Then if we can do nothing here, let's be on our way. Daine and I would like to go home where we _can _do something."

They made good time that afternoon, descending from mountainous territory into lower elevations. There were less evergreen trees now and many more deciduous. Flowers growing along the path and wild grasses were more of the type you would find in the southern lands. By mid afternoon, as the sunbirds began to climb to make their daily homage to their point of worship, they were able to see the gorge in the distance.

A wide grass shelf allowed them to look at the drop. It seemed to be a canyon among canyons. There was the silver curl of a river just visible in the distance below. "Long Drop Gorge," the badger told them. Long drop was right. One would fall a long way before hitting the bottom. The badger nodded at two splintering logs planted upright in the ground at the gorge's edge. "And there's the first bridge," he said gruffly.

In the vision Weiryn had produced while making the map, this had seemed sturdy and strong. In reality, it looked brittle and ancient. Twisted and frayed hemp ropes secured wooden slats that had seen better days. More ropes, just as ancient, made up hand rails along its edge. They were attached to primitive and frail-looking logs. The hand rails were set at a good waist-height for most people. Numair could see that he would have to struggle for some sort of a hand hold and that it was low enough he could have stepped over to his death very easily. This was a long bridge too, spanning some 150 feet across the top of the gorge. There were no possible shortcuts, unless… no, he could not use his gift. They might need him to be at full strength.

"The first _rope-and-wood_ bridge," the duckmole corrected. "The first rope bridge is further up. We didn't think you'd like that."

"First bridge or first wood-and-rope bridge, it won't break," snapped the badger. "It was set here after the first humans were done with it, and it's been here ever since. No force in the Divine Realms may break it, until the realms themselves are broken."

Numair would probably have been alright if the badger hadn't added the qualifier to that sentence. Now he was nervous. This bridge didn't look like it could support their whole party. It barely looked like it could support _him_. And hadn't the animals insisted that there was no way they could be attacked at Temptation Lake? It seemed to him that the glimpse he had gotten of Gods while here in the Divine Realms was one that humans should never see. Some gods ate trespassers, blackberries had a vicious streak, and the rules that were supposedly stone seemed to constantly be broken. The knowledge that Uusoae might be winning her battle against the Great Gods left a horrible image in his mind of stepping out onto that bridge and watching it snap in slow motion. "Is there an easier way to cross?" he asked. "Anywhere?" He felt a bit cowardly for asking, but he was compelled to.

Both gods shook their heads. "Long Drop Gorge extends several days' march in both directions," explained Broad Foot. "You _did_ say you were in a hurry."

He turned to Daine and saw a look on her face that told him she was feeling as hesitant as he was. "Would you be able to carry our belongings if you and Broad Foot transported yourselves across?" Numair asked the badger.

"No," the duckmole answered for him. "Weiryn and Sarra both put some of their power into what you carry to help you. Those things are bound to you. If we tried to take them, they would not come."

Numair eyed the crystal in his staff. "I didn't know Weiryn cared," he said dryly. Weiryn had given him the staff, but that was to help Daine. He couldn't seem to forget the lightening that nearly hit him in the kitchen. Daine shot him a slightly perturbed look.

He watched her lean enough to look out over the edge to of the cliff again. She visibly winced and turned pale. He slid an arm around her shoulder, silently chastising himself because it was the second touch of the day. "Are you alright?" he asked her. "Heights don't bother you."

"It's the bridge as much as the height," she answered.

"I will carry our things if you want to shift," he said quietly. "A shape change is out of the question for me. We must keep our food and weapons, for one. For another, I would hate to use my Gift to fly across, then need it to handle trouble on the other side." It would be difficult to manage everything. He began to mentally rearrange things in his mind, trying to figure out how to do it.

"If we are going today, let us begin," urged the badger. "I would like to be across before anyone, or anything, else comes by."

The thought of being caught on that bridge by an unknown foe really set his stomach on end. "He's right," Daine said with a forced smile. "We'd best start walking."

Numair lifted the duckmole from the pocket in his shirt and set him on the ground. Silver fire bloomed and the gods reappeared on the opposite side of the canyon.

"Take the lead," Daine said. "I'll keep watch behind us."

"Are you sure?" He asked, thinking that since he was heavier, she might be safer going first.

"I'm sure," she said. She was obviously trying to look confident.

He rearranged his pack and staff and stepped cautiously out on the bridge. It _felt_ fragile. It seemed to groan under his weight. And the hand rails were too low. He gripped the right side firmly, but had to grip the left around his staff. As much as he wanted not to look down, he had to. It seemed safest to keep his feet close to the supports and as centered on the slats as possible. They were widely set, but his feet were mostly too large to fall between. He worried for Daine though. Her feet were much smaller. He was out about 15 feet before Daine stepped on. The added weight made the bridge sway dangerously and he slipped slightly, making the bridge rock violently. His heart was pounding but he tried to reassure Daine calmly, "It takes getting used to."

"It's stood for time out of mind!" the badger's voice came from the air near them.

"That's what I'm afraid of," they both chorused. He looked back and grinned at her and she smiled back. Carefully he walked on, eyes on the planks in front of him.

A breeze began to push the bridge back and forth, making the trek across even more perilous. He tried not to think about what lay below. He began to mentally count spells that could have taken him across instead of this bridge. He didn't intend to use any, but it kept him from picturing himself tumbling off the edge and falling until his heart gave out of fright.

Suddenly the bridge began to rock even harder. He turned in time to see Daine struggling with something. She was about 40 yards behind him. "What's wrong?" he yelled over the wind.

"I don't know!" she yelled in response. "It's the darkings!" He turned and started back toward her but froze when she took her right hand off the ropes. If he caused the bridge to sway too much, she might plummet to her death. He thought he saw her drop a darking down her shirt and she held the other out at a distance. Then a look of pure terror crossed her face. She stuffed the thing in her belt purse and had just grabbed the hand-hold with her right hand again, when he saw her look up toward the sky. He turned his attention upward too and saw the sky ripple.

Winged shapes appeared. And when Daine called to him, Numair already knew they were hurroks. Eleven – she had said. These were enemies and they were coming at them on this damnable bridge. An unnatural mixture of hawks and horses, they were terribly vicious creatures. These immortals had no human components, but they had never responded to Daine's wild magic.

He saw Daine drop to her knees and ready her bow as the first attack wave made up of five of the things came at them. Numair planted his feet and raised his staff, still maintaining his grip on the bridge with his right hand. Daine would target the first one, he knew. So he aimed for the second and shot mage fire focused through the crystal on his staff. Numair's target burst into flame and dropped into the gorge, but Daine's was only injured. It had to be because of the wind and awkward positioning. He would have to find a more effective way to fight if he was going to keep her alive. But the second he thought it, Daine loosed her second arrow and it hit the attacking hurrok in the eye, dropping it effectively. _That's my girl_.

He aimed mage fire at another pair and heard Daine cry out. The hurrok she had injured had come up behind her and scraped her head with its talons. He tried to keep one eye on her to protect her while the second wave of hurroks attacked. He saw Daine shoot the one that had scraped her as he set another attacker ablaze. And now two hurroks were engulfed in silver fire. The badger and duckmole had joined the fight._ It's about time_, he thought ungratefully.

Numair sent a black net of his magic. It grabbed and held a pair of the monsters and they exploded from within, showering the sky with grotesque pieces. Two more hurroks, one nearby and one higher up, dodged frantically to avoid the badger's deadly silver fireballs. One caught a fireball in the throat, and burst into flame. Numair aimed for the other one, but Daine had already shot, hitting the beast in the throat. It flew right into Numair's mage fire and was charred to ashes that rained into the canyon.

Shaking from adrenaline, Numair stood and waited while Daine seemed to be struggling again with the darkings. "Daine," he called, "may we move on?"

"Sorry. Just a moment," she yelled in answer. He could see her say something to the darkings but couldn't hear it. He let her catch up to him, knowing that his weight would shake the bridge even more than hers.

When she reached him, he could see blood in her hair. "You're hurt," he said, touching the back of her head. She winced. It was obviously painful. He tried to sound calm. "I'll tend to it later though. Let's get off this thing," he said, wishing very much to be on solid ground _now._

As he turned to lead them to the end, he heard her say, "I don't know. It seems like a nice little bridge." He turned and stared at her surprised. "It never dumped us now, did it? And it could've."

"Yours is a happy nature," he teased. "I confess, this is too much like excitement for me."

She giggled. It was a soft, musical sound. "It could be worse," she said. "It could be raining."

He chuckled lightly, barely noticing that suddenly crossing was not so difficult or frightening as it had been when they weren't close enough to talk each other through it. He shook his head dramatically. "I wonder if that hurrok struck your head a little too hard." The truth was if it had hit her a little harder, she'd be on the bottom of the gorge now. It was a thought that put his heart in his mouth.

"Nonsense," she teased back. "I couldn't have shot straight if it had."

He reached the end and stepped off to the lovely, solid ground with her right at his heels. He didn't think. He turned and swept her into a tight embrace. He clung gratefully for a few seconds before he realized what he was doing. So he began to examine her scalp while he held her, hoping she didn't hear how hard his heart was pounding. He had come too close to losing her.

"We should clean this," he remarked over her head, trying to sound like nothing more than a concerned teacher. "Didn't your mother give you ointment for injuries?"

Daine had wrapped herself tightly around his chest. "Mm-hmm" she said and rubbed her nose in the chest hair that peeked out above the v-neck shirt.

He was shocked at how fast his body responded to her. He was instantly aroused. He felt like a foolish 17 year old boy instead of a 30 year old man who was supposed to be able to control himself. He stepped back abruptly. "Stop it," he said too sharply. "I can't think when you do that." _And I can barely breathe._

"You think too much anyway," she sassed.

The badger was sneezing again.


	18. Chapter 18 Birth of Darkings

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's Tamora Pierce's.**

_A/N: It was interesting working on this chapter. I discovered mistakes in the text I had never noticed before, including references to Gold-streak and Leaf by those names prior to when Daine gave them and the badger actually chuckling (I changed it in my version for continuity). There is also some conflicting dialogue for Numair that I had to struggle to work around. It's funny to realize that Tamora Pierce is human too (I tend to think of her as slightly ethereal). And I wonder if this chapter wasn't originally rearranged a bit._

_WhyshouldItellyou: You can always look under your at my list of favorite stories and authors. I hightly recommend stories by Himura Seraphina, The Whisper, Purple-Eyed Cat, Narms Briton 44 and Sarramaks. All are fabulous authors and have amazing stories on here. I'm sure I forgot a few too. Just check my favorite authors list._

_  
Nativewildmage: Gives "bless you" a whole knew meaning now, doesn't it._

_Rauros Falls: Thanks, the scene you want is fast approaching. They two gods have to leave first though._

_Animal Maglet: Thanks._

_Purple Eyed Cat: Thanks. I'm glad you liked it._

_Goldeneyed wildmage: I think I can get there in two more. But the chess game has to happen first and it is quite long_

_Bitterosemary: Well if I ever do anything completely outlandish, I hope you'd tell me. Thanks for all the compliments and for noticing all the little stuff. It's funny how much that little stuff can mean to the story. When I'm working on my own story in the next couple weeks I'm going to miss having all the instant feedback._

_KnightbyDay: Hahaha. Tammy put the sneeze as his laugh, not me. Although there was a section in this chapter where she had an error. He actually chuckled instead of sneezing. In my version I fixed it. I was shocked because I never realized it was there before. It just goes to show how important a good editor is even to great writers. I hope if I find a publisher that I get an equally great editor._

_Hoshi-ko88: Thanks_

_Alanna Cooper: Thanks_

_Silverlake: Thanks_

_Narms Briton 44: Nope I don't have anyone to publish it yet. But when you're just starting you have to have the story to offer, before you get to that part. I'm not sure if I'll find someone to want to print it, but I have to try. And as for this story – every time he thinks he's past that stage it comes back to haunt him._

_Blackandwhiteroses: Spidrens are still a few chapters away_

_1reallyblue1: Thanks_

_Sarramaks: Thanks for the editing note. I did fix it. Thanks for the compliments. I liked the lovely, solid ground thing myself. And I couldn't resist the sneezes. It was too funny._

_**Chapter 18 – Birth of Darkings**_

Broad Foot had said he smelled water and fish, so they walked a little further until they came to a valley where a rapidly flowing brook dropped into a large pool of water. It was a nice clearing for camping. Broad Foot dived immediately into the pool and began hunting for the next frog or fish god to supply his supper. It had taken a while for Numair to get used to this. Since gods were immediately reborn into new bodies, a god was never actually killed in this way. He amused himself by contemplating that since gods didn't need to eat and couldn't die, it was their own form of barbarism. It was strange to think of gods as barbaric, but then, he had learned all sorts of things about gods on this excursion which he had never considered before.

They settled their camp packs and Numair directed Daine to go wash the cut on her head before he would treat it. In the meantime he began to gather firewood. To his surprise, he had a helper. One of the darkings tottered around on two liquidly formed legs and gathered wood in two stretchy arms until it carried what looked like more than its own weight in wood.

Numair piled the wood into a ring of rocks he had placed, and lit it with his gift. He removed the kettle from his pack and filled it with water for tea and when he returned to the fire to place the kettle there, he found the darking examining the flames.

"It's extremely hot," he told the darking. "It would be unwise to stick your…" it was too late. The darking had stuck a limb in the flames and gotten burned for his trouble. He squeaked from the pain briefly and then was silent again. The burned area caused a strange coloration in his body – if one could call it a body. He shook his head at the little creature. "All this time following Daine around and you never investigated fire before?"

The little creature nodded.

"You have?" It nodded again. "So you wanted to get burned?"

The darking pointed to the colored streak which seemed to ripple across its shape to cover more than the previously formed limb.

"If I stuck my head in fire so I could singe my hair to change how it looked, people would call me mad." He mumbled it more than said it. He began to prepare camp bread and soup.

Soon after, Daine returned from the pool of water. Numair sat on a log and ushered Daine to sit in front of him so he could inspect the wound and apply Sarra's healing salve. She sat and submitted patiently. He tried to be as gentle as possible as he sorted through her thick curls to reveal the wound. Then he applied the salve carefully. "Your mother makes some amazing ointments," he told Daine. "The skin is healing instantly when touched by the salve."

"She said the herbs she finds here are more powerful," Daine remarked, turning to look into his eyes. He felt compelled closer but he fought it. He patted her shoulder and moved to a seat a little further away.

The badger settled himself on the opposite side of the fire from the two mortals. The duckmole was already there, half tucked under a fallen log.

"Daine, what in the name of the gods was going on at that bridge?" the badger demanded. "It looked as if you were dancing."

Numair watched her take a sip of tea and rub her temple as though she had a headache. "It's these darkings. Just before the hurroks appeared I was struggling to separate them. Seemingly they were fighting or disagreeing." The darking with the discolored patch (which now looked gold) began to nod its head vigorously. "And then I saw Ozorne," she said before biting her lip. "There was another time, when the tauros almost got me. A darking was in the water – was that you?" she asked the darking with the gold streak. It nodded. "I saw Ozorne then too, inside him," she said, pointing to the blot.

Numair looked at her surprised, while his temper flared. "You never mentioned this," he remarked. If Ozorne sent the tauros after Daine – well it was something he would do. The horrid beasts were notorious for raping women. They were an unnatural immortal combination of men and bulls and they had no females in their species. The few victims who had survived their attacks were usually destroyed, physically and emotionally. Though many saw healers right away, the attacks left scars. He had, months ago, been asked to talk to some victims of tauros attacks to try to magically find the creatures and kill them. The victims were so traumatized that the mere sight of any male put them into hysterics and Alanna had ended up being called in to take over.

He saw Daine stiffen and felt immediately guilty. "I had other things to worry about!" she said defensively. "I _thought_ maybe I saw Ozorne because the darkings are liquid, kind of, but they aren't, are they?" The gold streaked darking shook its head emphatically.

"We need answers," said Broad Foot. "Where is the spy – in your pouch still?" The duckmole pulled himself out from beneath his log and focused on the girl.

She nodded. "Oh -- and I've another one."

"Another--?" asked Numair. There were now three of the things and it looked like they were spies of Ozornes. He didn't like this at all.

"It dropped off the hurrok that cut my head," she said. "I think it deserted to our side." Deserter or no, Numair had the urge to torch it and the other two little things for the harm they had nearly caused Daine. He began to breathe meditatively to control his temper and appear calm.

Broad Foot waddled over to Daine and cut a circle in the ground with a claw. Before he closed it he told the gold-streaked darking, "Inside, you." The blot cowered away from him.

"It won't hurt," the badger said. "Getting answers in other ways takes too long." This was god magic and was fascinating to Numair. He moved a little closer to watch.

"But Ma tried that," Daine protested. "She only got its name."

"Because that was what she asked for," Broad Foot replied. "We're doing something else." He fixed a stern eye on the discolored darking. "Stop dawdling!" The creature flattened itself in a sulky fashion and trickled across the ground unwillingly into the circle. The duckmole looked up at Daine. "Where's this new darking?"

Daine fished around in her shirt until she had captured the deserter. "Go with your friend," she said to the thing. She put it on the ground and it rolled into the circle with the other darking.

"Now the third," said Broad Foot.

Quickly, Daine upended her belt purse over the circle. Her captive fell out with a plop and Broad Foot immediately closed the circle. The darking surged against the line in the ground and flattened as if he had met a wall of glass. Numair was spellbound. It was as if the creatures had been imprisoned and it all had come by simply drawing a circle in the ground without so much as a murmur of words, though he had no way of knowing if the animal gods had used a mindspeak. He wanted to ask but sensed that the questions would not be welcomed at this time.

"Stand back!" ordered the duck mole. Everyone complied. Then Broad Foot opened his bill and issued a strange sound. Silver fire bloomed in a circle over the darkings, who shrank away from it. The glittering light stretched evenly along the circumference of the circle and inside a picture began to form.

There was Ozorne, streaked with soot, cuts on his face and chest, a clump of braids singed. Numair could see that attempts had been made to kill him. He looked a little worse for wear. There was a piece of obsidian, the stone of creation, dangling from a frayed cord around his neck. His lips moved as if he might be speaking to himself. The picture spread until it was possible to see that he was standing in a cave with a pool of water at his feet. Beyond the visible stalactites, the opening of the cave could be seen and snow was falling thickly outside.

An image formed in the water before him of Daine reading a book. Ozorne reached for her. When his outstretched wing touched the water, the image disappeared. Though this vision was soundless, they could see him shriek baring silver teeth. Veins in his chest, neck and face stood out against his skin. He spun, and came to an abrupt halt, a sudden look of cleverness on his countenance.

Ozorne's lips moved, but Numair could not guess what he had said. A thick serpent of gold edged, scarlet fire slithered from his lips and hung in the air before him.

"So he'd mastered stormwing magic by winter," Numair murmured. "Possibly even before the barriers between the realms collapsed." He had suspected that Ozorne had been there to gather the magic in the air at the collapse of the barrier. Though he had never had the evidence to prove it, he had always believed Ozorne guilty of the forest displacement chasm which had swallowed Daine in the Spring. Numair wondered too, if he could have mastered stormwing magic as fast as Ozorne obviously had. Perhaps that was the motivation behind the magical menagerie the former emperor had kept. He might have desired to understand their magic well enough to control them. Now, of course, the madman had even better reasons.

"This is months ago," said the badger. "I remember this blizzard. We don't have that many, even here in the colder climates – it was the first full moon after midwinter, the Wolf Moon."

Neatly, Ozorne cut his cheek on a razor-edged feather. The fiery serpent flew to the cut, affixing to his face as a leech might. Ozorne spoke again. The serpent fell away, transforming into a bowl as it moved back. It brimmed with dark blood. It was a sight that sent shivers of warning into Numair. Magic like this was something a mortal should never attempt and years of schooling left him nervous at the sight of it.

Lurching to the pool, Ozorne drank. When he was finished his eyes were bright and he grinned malevolently. Returning to the magical bowl, he breathed a red-gold mist over the surface of the blood. The mist sank into the depths of the blood and swirled, making wavy patterns. Quickly, the stormwing cut both lips, flicking the droplets of blood into the bowl.

"For speaking," Numair guess aloud. It made sense. As in all magic, this still needed the activity and connection to its subject. "Blood also for life, and to bind the fruits of the working to him. He couldn't have done it as a mortal, but here –"

"Here magical laws are what you make them," Broad Foot said. "He seems to have learned that better than most who are _born _immortal.

Numair raised an eyebrow doubtfully. Ozorne had never been one for study. He was an immensely talented mage when he was mortal, but only by sheer force of will. "I doubt that he learned that at all. He merely wanted to do the thing and so he forced it to happen Subtlety has never been his strong suit."

The vision of Ozorne continued to do what seemed predictable when creating spies. He made cuts over his ears and over his eyelids, each time adding the droplets of blood to the creation. Then he slowly raised his wings, pointing toward the ceiling of the cave, and as he did the liquid surged. When he lowered his wings, a protrusion remained in the surface of the contents of the bowl. Twice more, Ozorne repeated the motion, and after the third time, the protrusion had become a black and red column nearly 18 inches tall.

Ozorne was perspiring, as if the working had taken a great deal from him. He shouted a word that Numair again couldn't guess and the bowl disappeared. Its contents dropped, shattering into what appeared to be 30 or 40 blobs. They turned black and the stormwing's face was mirrored in each newborn darking. The sheer number of them astounded Numair. He could not imagine why Ozorne thought he needed that many spies to keep track of Daine.

The vision dissolved and only the trio of darkings remained.

"There you have it," said Broad Foot. "Your enemy made them to serve as his voice, eyes and ears." He broke the circle to release the darkings from their small prison.

Free, the darkings did not try to escape. They created heads for themselves and nodded. The one who had scorched himself still had the streak in his inky body. Another of the darkings had picked up a leaf while in the circle and was wearing it like an absurd hat. The other remained naked and quivering.

"So you _are_ Ozorne's spies," Daine said.

The gold-streaked darking nodded, then the one with the leaf followed suit. The other shrunk away, trembling violently.

Numair could see an air of penitence about them, but he knew magic and the binding nature of blood. "You showed Ozorne we were on the bridge," he reminded them coolly.

The one with the gold-streak pointed an accusatory tentacle at the one wearing the leaf.

"You'll do it again when he summons you," growled the badger. He could be down-right frightening when he wanted to be.

The answer was emphatic head shakes from the gold-streaked and leaf-wearing darkings. The other one shrank against the other two in fear.

"But he _created _you," Numair said.

The one with the gold streak began to shake violently as if he were trying to morph himself into something different.

"Don't be afraid," Daine said. "You needn't –"

"I don't think its fear," Numair interrupted her.

"It's trying something new," said Broad Foot. "Wait."

The other darkings leaned against the one with the gold streak as if giving it strength. An image formed in the gold-streaked darking's depths, growing to cover its surface. There was stormwing Ozorne. He glared at the darking on the ground before him.

"_Obey_" whispered Ozorne. His victim began to shrill and the other darkings joined in, their tiny voices rising and falling. When the image vanished, they stopped.

"He hurts you," Daine said. "Is that why?

The darking with the gold-streak showed a fresh image: a red-clad female giant – a blot's eye view of Daine – as she tugged an arrow shaft away from the onlooker's vision. That picture blurred to form a fresh image.

"Your leg, isn't it?" asked Numair, grinning. "From the foot up?"

A large hand came into view, cheese in the fingers. It dropped the scrap and pulled away. Numair chuckled silently to himself. She _had_ been feeding a darking under the table that evening.

"You fed it." The badger sighed. "Sometimes I think you'll feed _anything." _Numair stifled a laugh.

"You were trying to warn me, in the pond?" asked Daine. The visions disappeared. The discolored darking nodded. "And on the bridge? Your friend here – Leaf, and you're Gold-streak, and this little fellow –" She scratched her head, looking at the trembling creature. "You'll be Jelly."

The darking's shivers slowed, though they didn't stop. It rose a bit in the middle, no longer trying to merge with the ground.

"So on the bridge, Leaf was reporting to Ozorne," Daine continued. "Gold-streak, you tried to put Leaf in the pouch to keep Ozorne from seeing where I was, but it was too late – Ozorne had already sent the hurroks. You hadn't told Leaf not to do as Ozorne bid you." Both Gold-streak and Leaf nodded.

She turned to Jelly. "And you abandoned the hurrok when you saw I had Gold-streak?"

A bump that might have been a head lifted in Jelly's mass. Stiffly it shook its new head.

"Or did Gold-streak call to you?" Daine guessed. Jelly nodded.

The badger sneezed. "Ozorne mastered stormwing magic, but he created the darkings _here_."

"Are you sure?" Numair asked, although he was already fairly certain it was true. "That cave may have been in the mortal realms."

"He did it here," Broad Foot said firmly. "We gods can always tell the difference."

"Here, life is forbidden to remain a slave of its creator," explained the badger. "It's why so many children and servants of gods act against the interests of those who gave them life. The darkings are forming their own ideas and ways to communicate, and they're getting names."

But could they really afford to take this chance when it had already nearly harmed Daine twice. "They're his _blood,_" Numair argued. "Blood will bind anything. How can they refuse when he commands?"

"I don't know, but they can," Daine said. "This morning I heard Ozorne say, 'Number 14 report.' I thought I dreamed it, but I didn't. Gold-streak was still in my pack then so Ozorne couldn't see where we were. Gold-streak refused to tell him!" Gold-streak nodded vigorously.

"That's why Ozorne sent Leaf, because he couldn't make you tell, and Jelly chose to be with you, not Ozorne," she said to the darkings. Both Leaf and Gold-streak nodded.

Daine picked up Jelly. "You were brave to jump off that hurrok," she told it gently. "Why don't you talk to Leaf and Gold-streak a bit, and hear what they have to say?" The darking nodded and then rubbed its head against her thumb affectionately before she put it down. The three small creatures merged together in a shadowy pool.

Numair had to admit he was impressed. Daine's loving personality had drawn spies created by Ozorne away from him. He knew which side he'd pick if he were a darking. He studied the girl and saw that heavy eyed expression Daine always wore when she was very exhausted. "We'd best turn in," he suggested. "We've had a long day."

"Doubtless tomorrow will be longer still," Daine said gratefully and she began digging in her pack.

"We will stand guard," the badger said. "Broad Foot and I have things to discuss." No doubt those things included precisely what the Great Gods had said and why Broad Foot suspected they were barely holding their own.

It was a long time before Numair could sleep. He wished again that he had just set Ozorne ablaze in the menagerie where he was turned into a stormwing. Life would be so much easier if he had. Humans spent so much of their lives wishing to relive moments. He wondered if gods ever felt like that when they watched over someone, only to see them turn into a monster. Weiryn's own son was evil and he wondered if Weiryn wished he had snuffed the boy at some point earlier. It was wrong to question though and Numair knew it. He had too many things in common with Ozorne. As teens the two had even been good friends. It would be so easy for Numair to become what Ozorne had if he allowed himself murderous thoughts. There had to be something that separated them – otherwise he was no better than his enemy. And though he may not be perfect, he knew of at least one point that put him above Ozorne -- the ability to show mercy.

-

-

Please respond


	19. Chapter 19 Double Agents

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's from Tamora Pierce.**

_Bitterosemary: You liked all my favorite parts. Thanks_

_Rauros Falls: Thanks!_

_Narms Briton 44: Thanks!_

_Alanna Cooper: Thanks for pointing out the errors. I fixed them this morning. This really helps me a lot. I'm glad you like the story._

_Nativewildmage: Thanks!_

_Purple Eyed Cat: I'm glad you liked it. I didn't know who the birth of the gold-streak would be taken._

_Goldeneyedwildmage: The chess game is very boring and I'm still not sure how to make it better. It is very important because it explains why Uusoae went after Daine after she killed Ozorne. It also explains why Numair thought he'd never see her again and why he exclaimed so loudly when he realized she was the one who had come for him while he drained from his battle with Hedensra. Luckily, Numair grasps concepts faster, so the chess game doesn't have to be as long for him as it was for her._

_Sarramaks: Thanks so much. That was something I was striving for. I wanted it to be clearer because when I first read the book, I had to read that part repeatedly to understand. Likewise, the chessgame lost me repeatedly. And usually, I pick up that kind of thing fairly quickly._

_WhyshouldItellyou: I just realized I never answered your question about my name. Sonnet (a type of poem that I'm quite fond of) is a name I used before online when I ran a poetry forum on a small Bulletin Board. Lacewing is both a dragon name and a granny shawl and I thought it was clever. My imagination is sometimes a bit outlandish._

_**Chapter 19 – Double Agents**_

In his dream, Numair and Salam returned to the circle of gods. The circle had grown as the various great gods had obviously needed to step back. Uusoae had grown enormously. She now towered over the other great gods. She was currently in the shape of a brontosaurus, though her tail appeared to be a serpent with its own will, attached to, but acting separately from, the dinosaur. Multicolored leaves sprouted from the heads of the great gods and the dinosaur snapped at them. Automatically, Numair threw black fire at the dinosaur, though it had no effect whatsoever and the great gods never noticed.

"You always want to help, don't you?" Salam said.

Irritated that his real father never saw this, he snapped, "Yes, father, I never set out to embarrass you or _ruin_ your good name. I only wanted you to be proud of me or even except me a _little_."

Salam turned smoothly into his own father and Numair's grandfather. This was the man he had been named for, and who had died when he was just eight years old. The elderly man also had a gray beard and the hereditary long nose. But he was not as tall as Salam and had to tilt his head back to look at Numair properly. "He wanted you to be a true namesake for me. Neither of us could see that you might actually be greater than the sum of us."

Numair blushed. "I am not," he answered automatically. The term "black-robe" mage had proven to Numair to be misleading. He had actually learned a lot of everday spells well after his university days, when he discovered that fantastic fireworks did not make an effective fighter. Many of the spells he used daily now had been taught him by King Jonathan. "I am neither greater nor less. I am only me and I am different from you."

The old man chuckled. "However, _I _would not have attempted to protect the great gods. Have you forgotten their power is greater than yours?"

Numair chuckled too. "You see how much good my actions did." He motioned as if displaying a fine piece of artwork.

"You must fight the right fight," the elder Arram said.

"And what fight is that?" Numair asked.

"There will come a time when you must fight a foe that only you can beat."

"Ozorne?" Numair guessed.

"No. This is the only other man Ozorne still fears."

"How am I supposed to fight a man when I'm trapped in another realm?" he asked. It was strange that he was completely aware of where he was and that he was dreaming. "And while we're at it, why are the guides that appear in these dreams, all family members who recommended I be banished to some far away country where I could do no damage?"

The elder Arram stood there for a moment that seemed to last for days. "To understand what you have to lose, you must see what you have gained," he said eventually. It was a cryptic answer, but one that Numair understood, nonetheless.

"I know what I have to lose. I have dear friends and a family I hardly know. And _you_ do not have to convince me to help. It has been automatic since I was a small child. Did my father even know that I saved 25 people in my first eight months at the university? If you are who you appear to be, you know that was not my first rescue. I save four children from burning to death when I was six. I have an ingrained hero complex, though where it comes from, I could not say." The elder Arram looked shocked at his candor. Numair stared the old man down (something he would never have done while the man was alive). I doubt if you are my grandfather. His response to my efforts to rescue others was to try to find a new home for me. If you come back tomorrow, just tell me where you need me. I will help, and you needn't masquerade again."

Arram looked surprised and a little pleased. When he turned to walk away, he melted into a man in a robe with wild black hair. Numair didn't know for certain, but he thought it might be Gainel.

Just before he awoke he heard a herald giving a report to Jon. The seventh rider group had lost three riders when they tried to take a secret exit out of Legann. Daine's friend, Evin Larse, was the leader of that group, and there were at least two other good friends among them. He would have to find a moment to tell her, but it would be painful.

He had awakened before the sun was up again. He looked to where Daine had been sleeping, but she was not there. Clearly she had gone to the pond to clean up. He wanted to do the same and would have to wait until she finished. He didn't bother putting a shirt on. He had slept in breeches because the air was getting warmer. He took a moment to pull out Weiryn's map to see how far they were from the sea of sand. It was still quite a distance. They had yet to reach Mauler's swamp or the maze. They needed to make some real progress and since he had to wait to bathe, he could at least speed things up by packing and getting breakfast going.

He got water from the canteen and got a fire started. The badger and Broad Foot were still standing at the end of the camp with their heads together, speaking mind to mind. This was the pose he had seen them in before he went to sleep and he wondered if they had conferred all night that way.

He could hear the darkings keening in Daine's pack. But when he tried to open it, they wouldn't let him. They wanted to be alone. He thought he heard Ozorne's voice and it set his nerves on edge.

Numair began to think again of the sheer number of darkings that Ozorne had created. And then his mind put it together. Spies had known exactly where to find the rider group. Spies had seemed to know every plan they had used to fight since spring. And despite their best efforts, a spy had never been located.

He waited until he heard Daine start to come up from the pond and he went to the rise near their camp and called to her. "The darkings were spying on more than us."

She didn't respond. So he stepped a little closer and ran a hand through his loose and unruly hair. "Did you hear me? It's how our enemies seemed to know every move!"

Daine rubbed her face with her hands. The sun was just beginning to creep over the horizon, leaving the sky touched with pink. In the strange, rose-colored light, her hair seemed to glow and gave her a haloed effect. He looked down so that he wouldn't stare. "I didn't hear," she said. She still sounded sleepy.

"It's the darkings. _They're _the answer."

Daine looked up at him and she looked irritated. He couldn't imagine what he had done, but he stepped back and poked the fire, while Daine pulled the darkings from her pack and cuddled each, cooing to them. He wished at that moment that he could be a darking. He was definitely losing his mind.

The badger and Broad Foot broke their conference. The duckmole headed for the pool and the badger waddled toward Daine and asked, "Did you dream?"

Daine glared. "I dreamed, alright. Amazingly clear dreams, like all the ones I've been having here. Amazing and _long_, since I don't remember sleeping much." Numair realized that she was just cranky because she was tired. So he thought he'd try again.

He walked closer and scooped up the darkings. "It's these little fellows," he said. "Or ladies." He scrutinized them for a moment. "It's impossible to tell if you have a sex," he told them.

Broad Foot returned from the pool with a small fish in his bill. "What about the darkings?" he asked.

"They don't just spy on us," Numair responded. "I thought Ozorne had created a number far in excess of his needs, if they were solely to keep an eye on Daine or me. Your kinfolk are with our leaders, aren't they? The king, the queen –"

"In the north," Daine continued the thought. "I heard in a dream that the Scanrans got away clean. Somehow they knew the Yamani fleet was coming."

Numair looked at her and added softly, "As I woke, I heard that yesterday the seventh riders tried to use a secret exit from Legann. The enemy was waiting. Three of the riders are dead." Daine looked at him, her jaw clenched, clearly asking what he knew she would. "I don't know who they were," he soothed, smoothing a wet curl off her forehead. "No one mentioned names."

She nodded solemnly. It was a moment before she spoke again. "The darking spies tell Ozorne. And other darkings with his commanders pass it on," she whispered. "That --dung fouled, mold-eating –" She broke off and turned toward the badger. "You could put an end to it!"

"The Great Gods don't like the People's Gods to intervene in human affairs," the badger replied. "We are to keep to the affairs of our own children."

"You've always said I mean as much to you as your own kits." She knelt beside him. "Badger, please! I can't help them at home whilst I'm here -- but _you_ can! _Please_!"

The badger fluffed out his fur, snorted and stamped. Numair wanted to help her convince him, but knew this was not the time to interfere.

"What good is knowing that your friends have eavesdroppers?" asked Broad Foot. "The darkings are very good at hiding."

Numair knew he had to speak up. Cautiously he said, "There are general spells to make an area secure. I would hope that the darkings aren't immune to their effects. Of course, chances are that our friends are using such spells now, to hamper the enemy's spy-mages."

Colors rippled over Gold-streak's skin. The other two blots flowed into it to form a single, quivering mass. They seemed to be conferring.

Daine motioned to Numair and he saw an image in the steam from the kettle. Yellow fog was drifting through the air over Kit's and Tkaa's heads. The wyverns were again attacking. He clenched a fist reflexively, before a log snapped, throwing sparks and dissolving the image. He turned to Daine and saw that she had pulled the silver claw necklace from around her neck and held it out to the badger. "I'm asking you now, by this symbol of the bond that's between us: Please help my friends."

The badger whuffled, wet nose quivering. He was clearly not happy about her request.

"If it helps, I will take them as far as I can," the duckmole told his fellow god. Numair smiled to himself and then realized that the darkings were surging up and down beside Daine, like eager children trying to get their mother's attention. "What is it Gold-streak?" he asked.

Gold-streak stretched until he stood taller than Leaf and Jelly. A mouth formed in the knob that served as its head. Daine bent toward the blots. And then straightened, shocked.

"What's the matter?" Numair asked, touching her shoulder. Then he chastised himself. Like the day before, he was exceeding his allowance of touches.

Daine looked up into his eyes. "It's Gold-streak, it –it talked."

"But they_ don't _talk, do they?" he asked. "My impression was that they only communicate what is said _to _them, or _near _them." He squatted to examine the darkings on the ground.

Gold-streak stretched a bit more and said in a high squeaky voice, "Now talk. _I_ go. Talk to darkings. Teach them—" It had been loud enough for everyone to hear. Gold-streak returned to its huddle with Leaf and Jelly. They vibrated together until Gold-streak's head rose out of the mass. "Freedom," it said. "Choosing."

"Do you know where your brethren are – who they spy on?" asked the badger.

All three blots nodded.

"And I can transport a darking from place to place, here or in the mortal realms," the badger commented. He sighed and pointed out, "It will take us a while, even going from spy to spy by magical means. Transporting all over the mortal realms. I will need to rest. Numair Salmalin, look after my kit." Numair nodded immediately. The badger turned to Daine and ordered, "Put that back on your neck."

Daine replaced her necklace while Gold-streak ended a last conference with Leaf and Jelly. Then the darking rolled up the badger's leg to his back. The god looked at it. "Ready?" he asked. Gold-streak nodded and they disappeared in a flash of silver light.

Numair smiled to Daine and whispered, "This will turn the tide, Magelet." He put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed lightly. She smiled up at him, a fierce look of determination in her eyes. "Let's get back to our Kit," he said pulling himself away from her.


	20. Chapter 20 Uusoae's Game

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it belongs to Tamora Pierce.**

_A/N: This is one of the slower chapters in the book, but it is also the most revealing. I loved that little line from Daine, "I don't like being so far apart from you." If he had only been paying attention, it told him everything he needed to know about her feelings for him. It is part of the reason that I decided when I read the series that she already knew her feelings for him long before the kiss. It's one of many subtle hints but is the most telling of them all._

_Rauros Falls: That is the problem with doing this book from Numair's POV. Basically, they spend most of their time together in RotG. It's the reason I was so hesitant to do it for so long. In the end, the begging won out._

_Alanna Cooper: Thanks. That's what I'm striving for._

_Purple Eyed Cat: Ahh, you get to see Numair the way I see him. I always saw this in him too. I love this chapter in the real book, because Daine does two things that tell him she's in love. And then I added more._

_Arram: It is a little known fact that we all have strange childhoods. Beaver Cleaver was fictional, alas._

_( ): Yes, the chess game is below. And thanks for the compliments._

_Hoshi-ko88: Getting closer_

_Goldeneyedwildmage: Even more Numair history and some eye opening behavior on Daine's part below. It was always there, but very subtle, so I added to it._

_Sarramaks: Thanks! The last line was sweet and he worries about it in the first line of this one._

**_Chapter 20 - Uusoae's Game_**

If Daine had noticed that he called Skysong "theirs" she showed now signs. Numair fretted about it as he straightened their camp, filled the fire pit and the trench that had served as the privy, and scattered leaves and stones to make the place seem untouched. Daine cleaned their dishes and packed their belongings all the while, in the way that they always broke camp – working in tandem.

Broad Foot, who had stood back with the darkings watching the whole thing, said, "It's as good as the courtship dances of cranes." Numair glared at him warningly. A pouch appeared in his fresh shirt and Broad Foot materialized in it before finishing. "You never bump into each other, and you never try to do the same tasks."

Daine answered Broad Foot, but stared up into Numair's eyes while she did so. "We've been doing this for a while. I've lost count of the camps that we've put up and broken down."

Her gaze seemed to cling to his until his pulse pounded in his ears. Lost in her blue-gray eyes, he felt himself reach to stroke her cheek, but he dropped his hand away regretfully as he came to his senses. "Where do the darkings ride?" he asked.

In answer to the question, Leaf coiled himself around Daine's neck in Gold-streak's former position. Jelly dropped into her breeches pocket, sticking only his head out so that he could watch. Then they embarked.

Daine took the lead this time, setting the pace and keeping a watchful eye with a strung bow in her free hand. Numair and Broad Foot followed. It gave them a chance to talk and Numair learned fascinating things about the place where Broad Foot's mortal children resided. It seemed to be a haven for marsupials, something that was a rare sight in their area of the world. Huge birds that could not fly also called it home, and it boasted several violent and deadly creatures, including a large spider that killed things four times its size. It was a fact that would have left Alanna unable to sleep, were she in his place. She hated spiders. He chuckled to himself at the thought.

Daine stopped twice for breaks without being asked and Broad Foot commented on it the second time. "I noticed yesterday that despite your long legs, you never seem to walk too fast for her when you're leading. Today she sets the pace and knows when to stop without being asked. How is that possible?"

Daine, who had overheard, grinned and brushed an errant strand of Numair's hair from his face – it made him shiver. "It's like I told you this morning, Broad Foot. We've done a lot of traveling together. Sometimes I think I know him as well as me." She gave Numair one of those simmering looks that caught him off guard and made his knees feel weak. He wondered if she had any idea what that expression could do to a man. She obviously didn't know him that well.

"We –" he tried to respond and his voice cracked, leaving him again to feel like an awkward teenage boy, rather than the man he was. "Excuse me," he began again. "We were assigned to work together because of it. Jon was impressed by the fact that we didn't target the same foe at the same time unless it was strategically advantageous. You might have noticed it during the hurrok attack."

"Was it one of your lessons?" Broad Foot asked, almost as though he were baiting.

"No," Daine answered. "It's always been that way. Mayhap we spent so much time together that I learned without realizing. But it's more like we were made to be together – a team, sort of." Numair's breath stopped short as she said it. And he could swear the duckmole was smiling. He had to struggle to hide his own smile.

He stood. "We should keep moving," he said, fighting the surge of joy inside him. The duckmole immediately materialized back into his shirt pocket and as they began to walk again, Numair remained silent, lost in his own thoughts.

It was nearly mid day when they reached the arm of a swampy area. Numair pulled out the map to check that it was Mauler's swamp and confirmed it when Daine asked. "There should be a bridge ahead," he said.

Daine pointed. The bridge was a low one, fashioned of sturdy looking logs and rising barely above the surface of the water. It was a much more comforting sight than the bridge on the prior day.

As they walked, Numair glanced into the murky water below, trying to keep an eye out for the sadistic creature known as Mauler. But soon, their progress became impeded by the numerous insect gods who came to feed on them. Killing the mosquitoes and biting flies did no good as they were reborn into new and hungry bodies. Their bites raised welts that itched so badly it was impossible to ignore. At last Numair, spun a fiery magical shield to keep the things at bay, though he knew it would probably only slow them down. But to his surprise the insects simply argued, trying to convince them that other creatures in the realm willingly gave their blood. "They are gods," he replied calmly. "No doubt they replace their blood instantly. _We_ are not gods." _Am I really talking to insects?_

"Mortal blood tastes best," added a small voice. "It has life in it. The blood of gods doesn't"

"I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am to deny you such a treat," Numair said dryly.

"You know very well we could break that shield if we wanted to," cried a blackfly. "We are _gods_ after all."

"What good is blood that's given so grudgingly?" a horsefly grumbled.

"What good indeed?" Numair said, while thinking how grateful he was that they had taken that stance.

"Selfish," a mosquito snapped.

"I hope that Mauler eats you! It would serve you right!" the invisible bug told them. Then the insects left to find more willing prey.

"Broad Foot, what is this Maulter?" Numair asked though not entirely sure he wanted the answer. "He looked like a crocodile in the image Weiryn showed us."

"Lord Mauler is an older god of the People," said the duckmole. He is a link between crocodiles and the dinosaurs. May we move faster?" It seemed Mauler was a sadistic as Weiryn had described and didn't like trespassers. Numair picked up the pace, automatically taking the lead with his staff held before him in case.

As they neared the end of the bridge, he heard a gasp from Daine and looked to see twin yellow rounds popping through the surface of the water. Behind it was the type of patterned hide you would expect on the crocodile, but this one was three times bigger than any crocodile Numair had ever seen. The creature was immense and its eyes followed them menacingly. "What the --?" Numair heard himself say at the sight of those huge yellow eyes. One eye, alone, was the size of Broad Foot.

"Lord Mauler," Broad Foot whispered. "Greetings to you, cousin!" he called loudly.

"And _good_ day," muttered Numair. He and Daine broke into a trot and quickly covered the few yards that remained to the end of the bridge. Mauler thrashed as they stepped off the bridge. The surface of the swamp rolled, and crested, and splashed the travelers. The great creature dove, leaving only surging water to mark his passage.

Broad Foot shook a clump of plants off his bill. "I don't know which is worse – when he's cross, or when he's trying to be funny."

Numair wiped his face on his sleeve. "If it's all the same, I won't stay around to study his moods."

Their progress was slow in the afternoon as the path began to climb again and the air slowly became warm and dry. They walked well past dark, their path guided by the light of Uusoae's battle with the great gods. Finally, they made camp by a wide and lazy stream. Broad Foot volunteered to keep watch again and both Daine and Numair turned in quickly but neither went right to sleep, tired as they were.

They ultimately turned beneath their blankets to look at one another, though neither said a word. Daine seemed to be consumed by her thoughts and, as much as he wanted to ask her what she was thinking about, Numair was unable to say a word for his own. He thought about Daine's words of earlier and his life until now. He thought about his family and the scars they had left in their rejection of him -- scars that ran so deep that somehow he had expected to scare _everyone_ away in the end. His mother had suffered for her marriage to his father and continued on without him, lost for the lack of an individual life. His sister was in an unhappy marriage to a man who was older than she. But neither marriage had been built on love and respect. He began to wonder if his family members were even capable of that, and there was a time when he thought himself incapable of love. But then came Daine. She was herself a misfit – loved by her parents but hated or feared by nearly every other human that encountered her until she found the same home for misfits that he had.

He smiled to her and she returned it. Then he closed his eyes and slipped into dreams.

Gainel stood in an empty and white space, wearing Numair's father's canvas apron. Numair smiled at the irony. It was the clearest way of admitting that he and the guides were one and the same.

"My Lord, Gainel," Numair said with a bow.

_--You have promised your help if I ask for what I need?--_

"Of course," Numair answered.

Gainel turned and pointed at a tall door that had not previously been there. _--Then enter and see the dream of Weiryn's daughter.--_

Numair did not hesitate. He bowed his head once more to Gainel, then turned on his heel and walked forward. An unfamiliar voice said, "My lord Gainel thinks that someone is helping Uusoae to tap into the other half of mortal fire, the half that does not belong to her. He things that she is playing this game, which she is forbidden to do." Numair understood immediately. Father Universe and Mother Flame set the rules which the great gods and chaos were to abide by. Those rules kept the Great Gods from simply killing Uusoae and kept Chaos from using mortals to gain an advantage. This kept the universe from dropping in on itself.

He followed a light until he came upon a great chessboard. It featured Uusoae as the red queen, and her king, an empty shadow that tried to draw all that was nearby into it. Uusoae's magic kept her king from swallowing her other pieces. A wolf was speaking to Daine, naming the other members of the red side. The leftmost rook was the three-headed ape – the mythological face of Discord. He turned to look at the other rook as the wolf pointed it out to Daine. It was a lean, blue youth with multiple arms. The rook smiled and pulled a seventh arm from behind his back. It held what appeared to be Numair's own head, dripping blood. Daine cried out in horror.

He reached her and placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "Violence," he said, pointing to the blue youth. "With Discord, the gatekeeper of Chaos." When he pointed, he saw that Discord was now juggling Daine's head. _Juggling_, he thought sourly.

"Charming," Daine said dryly.

"It's their nature," said the wolf with the long thin tail. "They can't help being what they are."

Numair took his hand from Daine's shoulder and looked at the wolf. "Daine, would you introduce us?"

"I dunno," Daine said, looking to the wolf. "Are you Rattail or are you the Dream King."

The wolf's shape puddled, curved, and straightened into Gainel. _–I thought perhaps you would be less unnerved by hearing of these things from a friend.—_

"Maybe," she said. Numair chuckled to himself. Daine also preferred the straight-forward approach.

They turned their attentions to the gold pieces. These were the Great Gods – Mithros and the Goddess as the king and queen, the Black God was a high priest as was "Shakith, goddess of seers" Numair whispered when Daine struggled to name her. Also present were the desert god Jihuk and the Smith god as knights. Kidunka the world snake and the Wave Walker were rooks.

"Where are you?" Daine asked Gainel.

He smiled. _–Like you mortals, I have one foot in the Divine Realms and the other in Chaos. Lately that's been a most uncomfortable position.—_

"Understandably," replied Numair. He pointed to Uusoae's pawns as they materialized on the board all at once. "_Now_ we have some answers." He wondered why the great gods had refused to listen to Gainel in regard to this. No one among them was better suited to know what was happening between realms. Even Shakith could not see the actual outcome of an event. She foresaw all possibilities, the way all seers do, and would use her best guess to know the future.

The central pawn was the Stormwing Ozorne. His closest neighbor was a blond Scanran mage who use a ruby in place of a lost eye. "Inar Hadensra," Numair named him for Daine's benefit. "_That_ explains far more than it doesn't."

"He's very powerful?" asked Daine.

"Yes, indeed. And he serves only the Council of Ten in Scanra, not whomever they have as king that week. The Copper Islander to his right? That's Valmar, the third of King Oron's sons, carrying a general's baton. And next to him is Deniau, the high admiral of the Copper Isles, and Valmar's brother. Ozorne has powerful allies." The other four were unknown quantities to Numair. There was a spidren, a hurrok, a dull-eyed female stormwing, and a winged ape. These were the enemy. One of them was helping Uusoae take apart the world.

They turned their attentions to the pawns among the gold ranks. A pawn that looked like Daine was on the farthest side. Next, a Yamani who carried a spyglass. Then came Tkaa, King Jonathan, Queen Thayet, Alanna, and Kitten. Numair was on the side closest to them.

Daine looked to Numair and said, "I don't like being so far apart from you." He smiled at her warmly.

Pieces vanished and reappeared. While the Great Gods struggled with the Chaos beings, the red pawns and gold pawns faced off. Ozorne and his allies used weapons that were clearly made of chaos. They constantly rippled with color changes. Numair immediately wondered if those weapons might include skinners. Gold's pieces were armed, but the attack took them while they were staring at the Great Gods' fight. Soon the pawn versions of Daine, Numair and the others were dead and Ozorne and his allies slumped to the board and dissolved, blending with their weapons. _The realms would be destroyed by chaos if Ozorne and his allies win._

"I don't like that game," said Numair wryly. "Can we play a new one?"

In a heartbeat, the whole board twisted. When it straightened, the pieces had been returned to their original places. This time Gold's pawns led the attack. Hedensra threw fire at them and King Jonathan blocked it. Alanna locked blades with an armed spidren. Daine's pawn went straight for Ozorne, Numair's for the Copper Islander Deniau. All over the board, opponents locked in desperate battles.

The spidren died first; Alanna raised her sword with a triumphant cry. Uusoae appeared, shrieking as she charged at Alanna. Gold's pawns were swept out of harm's way as the Great Gods appeared in a circle around the Queen of Chaos. Red's pawns vanished.

_--If she is behind this, she will come to avenge her servitor, the one who found a way for her to use mortal power without Father Universe and Mother Flame knowing. Once she reveals herself, they will enter the matter, and end the fight. Gods and mortals will be safe again, at least for another thousand years. –_ Gainel spoke at last, looking from Daine to Numair as he did so.

He disappeared to be replaced by the scenery by the stream and Numair realized he must be awake. Gainel's voice was still in his mind though and he assumed that Gainel's voice was in Daine's by her reaction. –_Her ally may not be a spidren. It may be another immortal, or a human. Whoever it is, you must kill him or her. It is the only way to end the war.—_

"Why didn't someone just tell us what the problem was?" demanded Numair. Daine turned to stare at him. Apparently she had not realized he was also awake.

_--Because the Great Gods believe that no problem exists. They say that no mortal would risk the destruction of his or her own realm by helping Uusoae to break the walls that keep her contained. I no longer argue with my brothers and sisters. They only laughed, so I gave it up. Farewell then, mortals. Good luck.—_

Numair turned again to Daine and said, "I thought Weiryn said we would never hear him in our heads." She laughed at the irony.

"Ozorne would risk the destruction of the realm to get revenge. I can't speak for the others," she said.

Numair nodded. "But we cannot know who will be there to destroy each of these potential allies. I can tell you that Jon would not survive against Inar Hadensra."

Daine looked worried and bit her bottom lip. She lay back down to rest and Numair followed suit. But they stared at each other for a long time before returning to sleep.

-

-

Up next, Malady and Starvation are loosed and Numair and Daine get left alone to face "Falling". Depending on how much I can squeeze into the next chapter, the kiss may come in 21 or 22.


	21. Chapter 21 Over the Edge

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it belongs to Tamora Pierce.**

_Ethalas Tuath'an: Yes, he does realize it. He mentions it briefly in this one. And it is why they split when they did later on. You are a sharp cookie._

_Celuna Cirrus: Sorry, but you have to wait one more chapter. But it's all prepared here and I'll try to find time to work on it and get it up today._

_Purple Eyed Cat: I don't think she ever questioned her feeling. I think she questioned marriage, which is a different thing. In their day, marriage means babies and women submitting their personalities to their husbands. Alanna is an exception. But even Thayet allowed Jon to arrange marriages for her children despite the fact that she didn't believe it was right. She also had a baby right away. Daine's parents were never married. There is nothing that says they ever did marry in the divine realm either. But they are no less committed. I will cover this before the end. I think Daine's only real dilemma was marriage and the fact that it sometimes makes people unhappy. The text says that she never considered marriage and she wonders if he will someday look at her and see a baby where he wants a woman. It never says she actually wonders if she feels what she feels. That's the POV I wrote from, anyway._

_Sarramaks: Thanks so much. Do you know I kept trying to figure out where that went and finally put a new one in from the edit screen on That's what I get for finishing that chapter when I was so tired I could barely keep my head up._

_**Chapter 21 – Over the Edge**_

When they woke, they packed in determined silence. In Numair's head he as repeating the pawns over and over, like a war chant: _Ozorne, Hadensra, Valmar, Denaiu, the unknown Spidren, the unknown female Stormwing, the unknown Hurrok, and the unknown winged ape. The immortals will be leaders of some sort._

"What are you thinking so hard?" Daine asked with a soft smile.

"Probably the same thing you are – the enemies revealed to us by Gainel. When we get back, we need to share the information right away. It is regrettable we didn't have this information before Goldstreak left. We could have sent word with the badger."

"We'll get back soon," she said. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "I was wondering, why was Kit among our pawns do you think?"

"Perhaps she is more capable than we give her credit for or perhaps her presence will bring about a person or immortal who will kill one of the eight. Gainel is a very wise God, but due to free will, he is not all-knowing. Even Shakith does not know everything that will come to pass."

The duckmole waddled over. "That is very true," Broad Foot said. "We cannot always see how one thing will affect another."

"So will I go after Ozorne?" Daine asked.

"That is ultimately up to you I suppose," Numair said. "I had actually hoped for the honor of destroying him myself," he added a bit icily. "But my path seems clear to me. One of those eight is too magical for any other."

"Hadensra?"

He nodded. "But we can discuss it in depth later. Let's get moving."

They picked up their pace that day at Daine's urging and by mid-day, had made a great deal more progress then expected. While they were eating their lunch and taking a break, more surprises revealed themselves. The ground shook violently and two thunderous sounds followed. The first sounded like an iron door being slammed. The other was the sound of a drawbridge being slowly lowered.

Daine and Numair covered their ears to no effect. When the booming echoes faded, Broad Foot said, "Oh, my goodness. So it's come to that."

"Come to what?" Daine asked. She, like Numair was rubbing her aching ears.

"Follow me," Broad Foot waddled to the nearby stream and breathed on its surface. Numair and Daine looked out and saw an image – or rather, three images.

The first, directly in front of where Numair was standing, showed the walls and ramparts of Port Legann from high overhead. A colossal spotted hyena gnawed on a tower, then on a siege engine outside the walls. Under her, around her, even through her, humans surged in battle. Raising a muzzle that dripped blood, she gave the stuttering, eerie cry that made her kind so feared. Sounds of battle grew faintly beneath her. Numair knew the reference from stories. This was Slaughter.

In the water before the duckmole was a picture of wheat fields. Cattle and sheep grazed nearby, herded by children and dogs. Superimposed above it all was the ghostly form of a yellow, mangy cur dog. He was skin and bones and appeared dreadfully unhealthy. He took bites from everything and each bit left behind shriveled fruit, wilting wheat, and sickly livestock. Again, Numair recognized the reference – Starvation.

In front of Daine stood the third image. It showed Corus, the Tortallan capital, with its crowds, rich marketplaces, and temples. A giant, spectral rat crept ominously through the streets. He licked a man who was making a speech in front of the stocks: The man coughed violently. A woman brought him water, but he was so stricken he could barely drink. Two men helped him to sit, but it was clear that he was suddenly very ill. The ghosts of tiny rats flowed from his mouth, landing on those who had gathered around him – Malady.

"Slaughter has been out since May," Broad Foot said. "Malady, though, and Starvation – what you heard were the gates to their dwellings being opened."

"The Three Sorrows," Numair whispered, making the Sign against evil on his chest. Daine followed suit. Numair saw Leaf rub its tiny head against her cheek.

"They are the siblings of the gods," the duckmole said. "Their appearance causes great changes, many for the good –"

"I doubt the ones they kill think so," murmured Daine. She stared to Broad Foot, giving him a look of earnest. Numair knew what she must be thinking because he was thinking it too – they needed some divine intervention.

"You know," he said casually, "the more disorder that is created in the mortal realms, the more power that Uusoae will have to use, or so it appears to me.

Daine looked at him conspiratorially. "I bet that Chaos will feed on this. How can she not, when all three Sorrows are wandering loose?"

The duckmole sighed. "So that's it. You want me to halt the Sorrows." He scratched himself. "I can't stop them all," he warned them. "They are strong. They ought to be, with humans feeding them for centuries. I can only hold one, and I'll have to remain in the mortal realms to keep it from breaking loose. The Great Gods themselves could do no better. Some powers cannot be ruled, even by the mightiest.

Numair and Daine exchanged worried looks, carrying on a silent conversation like they so often did. _How does one choose between Slaughter, Malady and Starvation?_

"Who are we to say which roams free?" whispered Daine desperately. "If we ask to hold Slaughter, Malady and Starvation will kill hordes of folk – but if we hold Starvation, which kills slow, the other two will wipe out large numbers.."

Numair began to try to put it in logical order in his head. _How do we fight each?_ "Armed humans can defend themselves," he thought aloud. "Hopefully Starvation can be held at bay through food imports. But Malady…" he shuddered involuntarily. _It could wipe out EVERYONE I care about, even the children. _For Daine's benefit, he voiced, "Malady doesn't care who it takes, or how many. Malady can wipe out armies and leave no one in the Yamani Islands or Carthak to farm the land."

"And it's just out," added Broad Foot. "It's weak still."

Daine shivered and tried not to think of friends killed in battle or dying slowly of hunger. "Malady," she whispered. "If it can be only one, let it be that."

Broad Foot rocked from side to side, muttering. At last he stopped. "Stay on the path," he ordered. "It is a fixed thing, even on the Sea of Sand. It will lead you to the Dragonlands. Getting in, of course, is _your_ affair."

"Of course," murmured Numair, grateful that the duckmole seemed willing to try to hold at least one of the sorrows.

Daine knelt before the duckmole. "I'll owe you for this, Broad Foot."

"So will I," Numair added.

"It _is_ only fair. If you can force Uusoae to reveal herself, and save the divine and mortal realms, we ought to do some things for _you_. Be careful, then." He disappeared in a flash of silver fire.

"What will we do if the dragons refuse?" Daine asked Numair.

He smiled to her. "Fret about them later." He began to gather their things while she quickly finished her lunch. "I'm worried about crossing the Sea of Sand, if Rikash doesn't help us."

Daine stowed her pack and quiver on her back. "What's wrong with the Sea of Sand?"

"I keep forgetting that we haven't both made a study of myths and legends," he remarked, thinking that he should set up some lessons for her of that kind. He shrugged into his own pack. "The Sea of Sand is more than a desert. It's said the Great Gods take mortal heroes there – though Alanna the Champion never mentioned such an experience. If the hero survives, it is a sign that his – or her – mortal impurities have been seared away." _Of course, maybe Alanna likes her mortal impurities_, he thought, amused.

Daine winced. "Please, Goddess," she said looking up. "Send Rikash with help." She led the way to the path and they spent the next hours talking of philosophies regarding looking up to pray while one is in the divine realms, although Numair did most of the talking.

The day grew warmer and when the sun beat down unbearably, the two found a shady spot to nap until sunset. The rest of their journey would have to be traveled in the cooler hours.

When Numair awoke, Daine was not there. He sat up and called to her.

"Here," she said from the stream. She returned to his side and began to stuff things into her pack. "The Copper Isles is sending ten ships – they're flying battle flags – north. I think they're making for Legann."

The sun had set and they packed quickly to set out. Jelly changed its seat from Daine's Pocket to Numair's shoulder. He was quite entertained by the small creature and soon grew used to its company.

They walked fairly steadily into the night. The path became steep and wound through a group of stone formations that looked like cracked and broken pillars tightly jammed together. Wind and grit had cut the soft rock into laddered, fantastic shapes. Numair felt as if there were eyes in the rocks and wondered if they too might be gods. "Did your family or the badger ever say anything to you about stone gods?" he asked, turning to look behind him. Daine was not there. He back tracked a little frantically. He found her half hypnotized by a pillar's gaze. He drew her from the stone. "I feel it too," he told her quietly. "I don't know if this place is dangerous, but I will be happy to get out of here all the same."

The next two miles of the path followed a narrow slot between deep rock cliffs. Numair focused light through his crystal to guide their path. But it gave off frightening shadows and both Daine and Numair agreed it also gave off a sense of foreboding. Numair kept looking behind him to make sure that he and Daine didn't get separated again. As the shadows grew thicker, Daine became increasingly pale. At last she said, "Can you – put the staff out? I – I think it makes things worse."

He nodded and pulled his gift from the staff. Daine automatically took the lead, no doubt using animal eyes to search the landscape. Once his eyes adjusted, Numair saw well in the dark. His night sight had always been good, and it helped that they had the rippling battle flares and the light of a full moon.

A fresh breeze hit their faces, air from an open place being funneled into a narrow one. They looked up at the rock formations above them to see one that looked like a huge question mark. It was nearly perfect. "Well _that's_ fitting," Numair remarked, earning a large grin from Daine. She slipped her small hand into his large one.

For a few minutes they walked hand in hand, feeling like the mood had lightened considerably. But soon the path became too narrow for anything less than single file travel. On their right was a cliff and to their left a wall of stone heights. They were now on the side of a mountain. Sage clung to the pale soil of the ledge; junipers thrust twisted limbs into the sky from rock clefts above their heads. Across the path, in a swath too wide for them to jump, a Chaos vent had overflowed, it's shifting colors pooled a yard from the cliff's edge. To get around and back onto the path, they would have to walk that narrow strip of bare earth between rim and air, then pass a massive clump of odd gray stones.

"Now _that's _curious." Numair frowned. "The indigenous stone is lava rock of the brown variety. These are different. They could be granite." He walked closer, studying them and halting a few yards from the chaos bile spill.

"Indi—what?" Daine asked behind him. He turned to see that she had strung her bow and knocked an arrow.

"Indigenous," he answered in nearly a whisper. "Local."

"Why you couldn't just _say_ local…?"

He chuckled as he tested the gray rocks with his gift. "I'm sorry. I'd meant to do better than my university friends, and not upset people by talking in that abstrusive fashion. Then my _father_ complained. He asked how did he know that I even _went _to those expensive teachers when I spoke just as I always had?" He didn't say that it was almost as if his father had challenged him to stay and study harder and not take the offered breaks at home.

Daine smiled at him beautifully. "You never told me that. I s'pose once you get used to doing it at home, you forget the rest of the time.

He pulled his magic back. "Those rocks _seem_ all right."

He saw Daine cast her own copper fire at the stones. A look of horror and twisted pain crossed her face and he saw her bring her hands to her mouth and force it closed. Tears ran down her cheeks. He rushed back to her, but she seemed to be coming out of it. He pulled her to him with his free hand and enfolding her tightly. "What happened?" he said as he fumbled for a handkerchief around the staff held in the crook of his elbow. "You're white, you're—"

"They're touched with Chaos, those stones," she replied, wiping her eyes. "If I try to use my wild magic to look at something like that, it – it pulls me in."

"You shouldn't generalize from one experience –" he said automatically without thinking.

"But it _wasn't_ just one. This made me remember the _last time!"_ She finished wiping her face. "I looked into a chaos vent and felt the same thing and only a bite from a skink stopped me from falling in. Then, at Temptation Lake, it nearly happened again except Broad Foot woke me up. But the worst was with the skinners. When I reached for them with my magic it felt exactly the same, like it wanted to rip me to pieces. I think it would have if I hadn't suddenly shifted forms and fallen."

"Then how did you break free this time?" he asked.

"Leaf, you bit me, didn't you?" she asked, raising a hand to her right ear. When she showed Numair her fingers, there were tiny spots of blood there.

"Sorry," the small creature squeaked and hung it head.

"Don't apologize," Daine told it. "Do that whenever you think it's needful. You just saved me from maybe walking off a cliff." Numair saw the darking rub its head on her shoulder.

"For now, we shall delay the question of when it got teeth," he remarked. "Let's get away from here. Can you walk by those rocks, Daine?"

"Chaos mostly gets me thorugh my magic. I just won't use it," she answered. "And it's not like they're _alive_, after all." She seemed to stare over the drop anxiously and he thought about suggesting she shift and fly over, but he said nothing. "You go – I'll come _after."_

He nodded to her and resettled his pack. He walked boldly forward, clearing the vent's spill and turned back to watch Daine. He felt strange somehow, another foreboding sense. He saw the chaos bile reach a tentacle for her, but she skirted it safely and he breathed a sigh of relief. He never saw the rocks reach to grab him, but he felt them and they caught him completely unaware. He cried out, startled, as the stone wrapped itself completely around him and squeezed.

He had to fight. He felt jelly scamper into his shirt, out of harms way. Then Numair spun a shield around himself and pushed power into it, making it larger and larger, until the living stones around him began to shake violently. He could almost swear they cried out, and he kept pushing the power into the shield until the stones retreated, clearly crying in pain.

He stood on a tall ledge that he had not even been close to and Daine was no where in sight. The rock creatures must have carried him off. He scrambled down, trying to get himself back to path and nearly falling to his death twice in the process. "Daine!" he called, hoping she hadn't followed. "Daine!" He finally found the path and followed it back to the chaos vent. "Daine!" He was feeling desperate now. He could see one of her arrows near where he had been taken. "Daine!" And then he saw the ledge – it had collapsed.

"Goddess, no! Please! Daine!" He scrambled as far down the side as he dared without falling himself. More arrows were scattered in the path of freshly revealed soil, where the land had collapsed under the force of gravity. She had probably been on the ledge when it slid off into the depths below. There was no denying she had fallen and he could not see the bottom. "Da-a-aine!"

-

Officially it has to continue in the next chapter. Sorry.


	22. Chapter 22 Love

**Disclaimer: Insert generic disclaimer here – be sure to include Tamora Pierce.**

_Celuna Cirrus: Yep. And here's the resolution._

_Kit49: Yes, I'm sorry. I keep chapters between 6-8 pages of typing in Word. So I had to._

_Alanna Cooper: Yes, this is the kiss. And I'm so glad you liked the last one._

_Wildmage426: Thank you._

_Silverlake: Thank you. There definitely was a cliff._

_Goldeneyedwildmage: Well, my dear fluff-obsessed friend – here you go. I hope it lives up to your expectations._

_Twilight Shades: Focus magic is brief because the focus already exists, but it is below along with a whole lot more._

_Bitterosemary: Yes the sight is having trouble. It's not showing the reviews there, but I did get them in my email. I'm glad you liked the hysteria. You might be the only one who noticed the thought about Alanna. I actually sent two fix it requests to yesterday. It wasn't only my story you couldn't see. Many had that problem. Sarramaks submitted a new one and nobody could get to it or even see it under her name. Several other updates were closed too. Hopefully this one will go right up._

_Purple Eyed Cat: No heart attack, but definitely angst. _

_Sarramaks: Between you and me we had enough troubles with to make us crazy. I finally got to read your new story and I can't wait to see what's next. And thanks for the compliments._

_Wildmage Lioness: Thanks. It will be a while until you see this response, but I had to put it somewhere._

_**Chapter 22 – Love**_

Numair flipped open the locket on his wrist. He knew Daine's chances were not good. But if Daine had stopped her fall somewhere along the path to the bottom, he would not leave her to suffer injured and alone. He glanced one last time at the perfect picture of Daine and then closed his fingers over the lock of hair. Centering his mind on the focus, his black fire burned from the core of his being, and time and space bent. There was a sharp tug in the center of him and his feet left the ground. He lost all sense of gravity, as if he were floating in a vacuum. Light swirled before his eyes, shooting violently past, and then faded away to brightness His feet touched solid ground. Dizzy, he struggled to get his bearings as he closed the clasp on the bracelet. Before him, Numair could see three spidrens gathered around a rock. Daine's boots lay askew on the ground under one of the spidrens feet.

His mind screamed. If she was alive when she reached this point, it made no difference now. These horrid beasts had devoured her. A rage like he had never known built and burst inside of him. Past the point of logic, he roared like an injured beast, sending the last remaining dregs of his gift flashing through the gem on his staff and bursting one of the spidrens to bits and pieces. But now he was drained. He couldn't treat the other two to the same satisfying end.

He could see Daine 's body covered in webbing on the stone slab behind him. She wasn't moving as he knew she wouldn't be.

Rage pushed him forward toward a rearing male spidren. His thoughts became single minded and violent. Numair struck the spidren with his staff using all his strength. He was rewarded with a sickening crunch and a cry of pain. He swung again, treating the spidren like a piece of firewood he was chopping into with an axe. Blow after blow, he struck, as rage poured from him, past the point when the spidren ceased to move.

He turned to face the female spidren, but she was already dead, suffocated by two small darkings. He stood there sagging against his staff. He knew he should confirm that Daine was dead, but he couldn't bring himself to do it now. Her body was there, behind him and she deserved a descent burial. But how could he deal with this? If he dug a grave he might just as well crawl inside with her. He had failed to protect her and she was gone and there was nothing he could do to bring her back. There would be no big magic to save her now. Tears slipped silently down his face and shock tugged at his mind like cyclone. He wanted it undone. He needed a second chance. But there would be none.

"Please – are you alright?" It was Daine's voice. Something between a sob and gasp escaped him as he turned, hardly believing. "You – you're alive. I thought…" _This isn't real. My mind has collapsed._

The girl staggered toward him. "I hurt too much to be dead." _Only Daine would joke at a time like this._

He dropped his staff and swept her into his arms, only vaguely feeling her hands go around his neck. He stroked her back and clung desperately to her, feeling the welcome thump of her pulse. _You're alive – it's really you. _Warring emotions overtook him: loss and recovery, sorrow and gratitude, desperation and longing, rage and love. All the reasons that he had kept his silence for all of these months went forgotten and the strength that had powered his resolve shattered. His logical mind refused to function and his heart took over. So when she pulled back and looked into his eyes, he closed the distance and kissed her.

Numair had imagined this moment so many times, but his imagination was not this good. Numair was not new to kissing, but this was like nothing before. It was the most ardent kiss he'd ever experienced as passion rolled through his veins and every part of him cried for her. A force he had never before experienced traveled between them and every nerve tingled joyously. His breath became rapid and eager. A blissful sense of belonging settled over him and heat spread through his limbs and into his clouded mind. Suddenly, everywhere their bodies touched didn't seem close enough and his arms pulled her tighter against him until he felt her tremble. And then the logical side of him finally kicked in and he realized what he had done.

Numair tried to break the kiss, but as he pulled back Daine whispered, "No," and drew him to her. He could feel her hands tangled in his hair. He caressed her lips with his own, gently this time, thinking how much he loved her and wanted this to go on forever. But it couldn't. He broke away once more, only to return again to kiss deeper and longer, until he was having trouble breathing. He could feel her hanging in his arms and his own knees felt a little a weak.

He let out a strangled laugh. He couldn't imagine the fall or the fear she must have just gone through. He only knew his own fears. He scooped her into his arms and carried her to a large rock, where he sat, cradling her in his lap. "Goddess bless," he whispered, smoothing her curls away from the beautiful blue-gray eyes that were now staring at him with some kind of wonder. "Magelet, I thought I'd lost you," he confessed.

Daine buried her face in his shirt, so Numair held her to him. He could feel her shudders and realized she was crying. He said nothing. He only pressed his mouth to her hair, kissing her curly head repeatedly and thanking the gods – all of them – that she was alive and safe.

Now a storm of questions began barraging his brain. _She returned the kisses, does this mean she feels the same? What if she just wanted to be kissed? Can she tell how I feel? _And _How ever did she survive that fall?_ He decided it was important to deal with the problems at hand, not the least of which was the fact that Daine might have injuries and that he was too drained to defend them if anything else came along.

"We need to rest and eat," he said practically after nearly ten minutes of silence. "It'll soon be too hot to travel, and there is the path to relocate as well. If I remember correctly, this river is on the map. It parallels our route and emerges from this canyon near the path. Once you feel better, perhaps you could fly up and locate it. What do you think?

She didn't answer.

"Sweet?" Craning to see her face, he realizing she was asleep. With a sigh, he got to his feet, cradling his student, friend, and love. Daine's only reaction was to snuggle closer. To the darkings, Numair said, "Let's find some shelter."

The two darkings spread out in both directions, searching the cliff face. Numair was amazed at how fast they could move when they wanted to. He was exhausted and moving slowly. He had barely reached the canyon wall when Jelly was back, urging him to follow. Jelly had found a hollow under a rock shelf that was well shaded. It would protect them from the harshest heat and there was enough room to make a decent camp.

Numair lowered Daine onto his own cloak for a pillow and treated the cuts he could see without disturbing her. The rest would have to be tended later. He didn't cover her because the heat was already becoming uncomfortable. He left Leaf to watch over her and took Jelly with him to gather wood for a small fire and stones for a fire ring. He was afraid to wander very far from Daine and so they made due with what they had.

Daine's pack and bow appeared to have been lost in the river. Luckily, Numair had carried the heavier items, including the cooking pots and bowls and most of the food supplies. It had been a very long time since he had needed to make a fire without his gift and Daine's flint had been lost with her pack. But before he could begin a more traditional method, the darkings had taken care of that too, using two of the smaller sticks intended for firewood.

"You are very helpful, did you know that?" he praised. He could swear Leaf and Jelly looked extremely pleased with themselves.

He turned to Leaf and asked, "Do you get injured?" The darking shook its leaf covered head. "Lucky you," he said turning to Daine again. He smoothed her hair as she slept on.

Numair filled a pan with water and put it on to boil, dropping the soup ball in. He was so tired he kept dozing, though he was trying to remember not to burn the soup. When he reached for the spoon again, Jelly had wrapped a tentacle around it. Forming a small mouth the darking said, "I cook, you rest."

Numair smiled gratefully. "Thank you. It's done when the mushrooms look tender, the noodles swell, and the light green herbs look dark green. Does that make sense to you?" Both darkings nodded.

He leaned back against the cliff wall and drifted into exhausted sleep that he knew would be far too short.

As if from a long distance he heard Jelly squeak, "Food done."

Numair knew it had probably been about 20 minutes, but he felt like he hadn't slept at all. "Very good," he told Jelly. Then he turned and saw Daine watching him. He blushed automatically, remembering the kiss, and he turned his head away. He had never felt anything like what he experienced when he kissed her. He supposed that his love for her had something to do with that, but if the feelings were returned, maybe that was part of it too. But then, he had initiated everything, not the other way around. If she didn't love him, it would destroy the friendship he valued so much, and he certainly could not undo his actions.

Numair was very confused now. All the unanswered questions would likely be discussed and Goddess he hoped she didn't want to know how he had found her. So naturally it was the first words out of her mouth. "How in the name of Shakith did you find me?" she asked.

He fidgeted automatically, "It was merely a simple magic, Daine –"He couldn't meet her eyes. The Copper Islanders had once wanted to use a focus to control him. She had remembered then what significance it had. How would she react to the knowledge that he had kept one of her?

"Mouse manure," she replied. "D'you think I've lived all this time with mages without _knowing_ what it takes to find somebody _and _go to them?"

He wouldn't lie to her if he could – not about this. But he wanted so much to avoid this confrontation. "I had a focus," he mumbled nearly inaudibly. Clearly, she heard him though.

"A focus? Something of mine to connect us?"

"Yes – and I'm glad I had it." He couldn't imagine what would have happened if he hadn't gone right to her. She looked at him curiously. _Please, don't ask anything more about it._

"Yes – but – may I see it?"

He looked at her solemnly. He couldn't deny the request and he couldn't deny what she would know when she saw it. And then what? _Is she in love? Will she forgive me for taking this lock of hair? Or will she laugh at my foolishness? _She tilted her head at his hesitation. _Just get it over with. _He unlatched his bracelet, knowing it was now visible and reached across the distance, letting it slide from beneath his sleeve and into her open palm. He almost couldn't watch as she examined it with her lips parted in shock. And then to his surprise, she gave it back to him.

"I thought you might laugh if I asked you to sit for a portrait." He reattached the locket to the chain and both vanished. "The painting was done by Volney Rain. The hair I got when you were delirious with unicorn fever six months ago." _Every girl in the world recognized a lover's token. Now she knows._

He couldn't just sit there and wait for her to react. He began to distribute the soup into three bowls. He gave one to Daine and kept one for himself. The third went on the ground for the darkings. They flowed over their bowl consuming it greedily. He wondered if they needed to eat or just liked to, in the way that gods did.

Numair watched Daine blow on a spoon full of hot soup. He was hungry but was reluctant to start in on his own bowl while waiting for the other shoe to drop. But when she finally spoke, it wasn't regarding the focus. "What happened to you? What about those rock things?" she asked.

"They carried me off," he answered, pausing to eat a bite of soup. "I used my gift to shield myself, but it took them some time to discover that _I_ was the source of their pain. Once they did, they fled. When I returned to the chaos vent, and realized that you had gone over the cliff --," he broke off, swallowing hard. It was still so painful to think about. He couldn't imagine how she had survived the fall.

As if answering the question, Daine said, "You can thank a number of trees and a deep part of the river that I'm reasonably alive." She sat next to him, inching over until he was force to raise his arm, where she tucked herself against him and rested her head on his chest. He let his arm drop to wrap around her and smiled nervously. He tried to study her without her seeing, looking for answers.

"You're trembling," she murmured. Numair wished she had not noticed.

"I'm only tired," he lied. If it were a matter of only being tired and drained, he would not feel so frightened. Something George had once said to Daine rang through his head, _'Nothing like a big, tough mage.'_ He wondered why that had to drift into his thoughts now. "I used up my entire Gift to reach you."

"You shouldn't have," she said. "You need it to defend yourself – and we still have to reach the Sea of Sand."

He closed his eyes breathing deeply and squeezed her against him. Whatever she felt, she cared about his welfare more than her own. She might not be _in_ love, but she definitely loved him in some way. It was a start. "If I'd lost you and kept my power, I would hate myself," he said. "Eventually magic returns, even after a draining. I had no way to know if _you _would."

Their eyes met and he felt that he never wanted to end the gaze. "It would take more than falling off a cliff to keep me from you," Daine said, the heat in her voice pulling him irresistibly to her.

They kissed again, passionately, sending the same swarm of emotions and energy he had felt the first time coursing through his body all over again. "I'd hoped you'd felt that way," he whispered when he could do more than gasp. He kissed her eyelids, and the tip of her nose, then found her lips again. When he pulled away again, Daine trembled within the circle of his arms, and stared again into his eyes. He caressed her and felt her wince once.

He sighed regretfully, realizing that she was trying to be tough and pretend not to be hurt. "I should look at your cuts." He drew the pack toward him and turned to see Daine lifting her shirt hem, arms crossed, clearly intending to remove it.

"_Daine!"_ he gasped. A few kisses and now she seemed to be willing to strip in front of him. How was he supposed to behave in a proper, respectful manner with Daine, if she was willing to lose all modesty in front of him that fast? Injured or no, it wasn't appropriate.

"What?" she exclaimed, interrupting his thoughts.

He felt his cheeks burn. His mind had wandered into territory he was trying to avoid. "You – We aren't – you should be clothed!"

"I've a breast band on, dolt. Besides, this shirt's in shreds. Like the rest of me." It was true. Her shirt was nearly indecent, but it was a symbolic barrier that he needed her to maintain.

He shifted uncomfortably. "It just doesn't seem _right. _ I feel that I'm .. taking advantage of your innocence. A man of my – years, and reputation –" And now he had stated aloud what he had punished himself over for months – the dreaded reputation that had caused her pain. She had been targeted by at least one young man who only wanted her for sex, all because the court gossips had suggested she was sleeping around. And it had all been due to the fact that Daine was Numair's student and Numair was notorious for his relationships with ladies of the court.

"Taking advantage of?" she repeated. "And _what_ reputation?"

"You of _all_ people should know that I've been involved with ladies of the court." Now he was completely humiliated.

"What does that have to do with the price of peas in Persopolis?"

"It's easy for an experienced man to delude a young woman into believing herself in love with him. It is the basest kind of trickery, even when the man does not intend it."

"Do you love me or not?" she demanded.

His face grew so hot he knew he must be crimson. _Surely you realize that I do._ "That is not the topic under discussion." He fumbled for Sarra's ointment from his pack. Jelly and Leaf trickled over, carrying a bottle of water between them. "Thank you," Numair told them as he took charge of it.

Daine turned her back to him and stripped off her shirt in a brisk, almost defiant motion. Her back was badly scraped and he felt like a fool for having argued. "We're not talking about love?" she demanded, wincing visibly as he began to clean the cuts on her shoulders and back. "What are we talking of then? Canoodling?

"Daine! Is that what you think I want? he asked, outraged. "_Sex_?" But then he knew that everyone would think that if they built some type of relationship. And the truth was he _did _want that – but it wasn't even close to the limit of what he wanted. He felt like he'd been slapped and a sadness settled over him. He began to smooth ointment into her cuts as gently as possible, watching with the usual awe as they healed the second the salve touched them.

"It isn't?" Daine asked. Rising to her knees she stripped off what remained of her breeches. He moved back away from her, wanting to escape more than he ever had wanted to escape any situation. _This must be what she thinks of me._

He stood there numbly, wishing he had shown himself to be more honorable in their three and a half years together. He could barely meet her eyes when she swung around to face him. When he did, she seemed to be searching his face for something. A look of dawning comprehension crossed Daine's countenance. She closed the distance and grabbed for the invisible bracelet. "You're in love with me?"

He couldn't believe it had taken her this long to realize. He looked away, mortified.

"Love's fair wondrous. Where's the harm?" she said.

He cringed. "I was 'canoodling,' as you so charmingly put it, when _you_ were four. You're so young, Daine. I knew that if I spoke, you might think yourself in love with me; you might ma—" He stopped, hardly believing he had gone that far.

"_Marry_?" she squeaked. "_Marry_ you?"

The reaction was like the strong twist of a knife which had already been plunged into his gut. _Is it that distasteful to think of marrying me?_ He couldn't look at her, if he did he might actually cry and he hated crying under any circumstances. "One day you'd turn to me and see an old man. You'd want a young one." He got up and walked out of the shelter into the scorching heat of the day. He crouched by the thundering river feeling broken.

How would things between them be now? He couldn't hope to return to what they were before. He couldn't hope to make her love him. _Why did I have to kiss her? If I had minded the rules, then she wouldn't know what a fool I am. _ And the tears came anyway. He splashed river water on his face, irritated at his own weakness. _I'll get her back home and follow any rules she wants. Lindhall can teach her if there's anything she still needs to know. She doesn't have to be near me if she doesn't want to be. _

He folded his arms around himself tightly. Despite the heat, he felt slightly cold. He also felt extremely empty.

"Can't we just go on as we have?" he heard Daine ask. He had not heard her come out. "This is a fair weight to solve when things are so – mad." He turned to look at her. She had wrapped herself in one of his shirts. The sight was almost comical. It looked like a short dress on her. And the cuffs were rolled several times so her hands could peek out the end.

He looked up and forced a smile. "That is certainly true," he answered.

She walked closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know I love you," she said and he stared at her hardly believing. "Maybe I always have –"

"Which is what I was afraid of." he voiced. She could not have loved him as long as she'd known him. Although he had trouble figuring out when this became love, he knew his didn't go that far back. But then she had said "I _know_ I love you", not "I _think_ I love you".

But Daine rolled her eyes. "Once we're home – once the war's done – we can work it out. We'll talk then." And she smiled so warmly that his stomach did flip-flops.

He stood and cupped her face in his hands, repeating her words to himself again, "_I know I love you"_. He kissed her very softly, and briefly on the lips. "Indeed we will."

She took his hand and pulled him back to their shelter. "We both need sleep and you'll bake if you stay out here any longer," she said practically. And though she had been the injured one, she ordered him to lay down and she lay down beside him. He pulled his pack between them and she promptly picked it up and put it on the other side. "Surely we can sleep this close without worrying about what the world thinks." There was two feet of space between them. "And I did mean what I said, I know I love you." Numair felt himself smile and she smiled in return. "Now go to sleep."

He didn't need any further encouragement.

-

-

plenty more to come.


	23. Chapter 23 Crossings

_**Disclaimer: It's Tamora Pierce's.**_

_A/N: I added a lot into the day that isn't covered in the book. I hope you like it._

_Horsehearted15: Thanks. It was very nice of you. If I have any horse questions, I will message you. Though I probably should tell you that I grew up on a ranch and I am pretty familiar. We had one with Cloud's tude too. Her name was Angel, and she was able to open the most stubborn gates and the only one who could ever ride her was me. She threw everyone else. I don't know why we got along, we just did_

_Mouze8Cheeze: Thanks_

_Hoshi-ko88: I think you might have missed chapter 21 where I did cover the rock thing._

_Kit49: There were so many doubts before that I figured he couldn't change overnight. By the time he reaches the proposal, there will be reasons he thought he dared to do so. Also this story will go a little past the book._

_Sarramaks: As always, you helped a lot. Thank you so much and I'm glad you liked the finished product._

_Lady Araceli: Thanks_

_Nativewildmage: Thanks so much_

_Bitterosemary: Thank you, thank you, thank you. Daine gets to really show her true nature at the end there. They aren't through with relationship struggles, but they're on their way. _

_Wildmagelioness: Thanks_

_Alanna Cooper: Thanks_

_Purple Eyed Cat: Thank you so much. I am working on my own book when this is finished. I might stop by and do stuff from time to time, but I won't have time for anything like these projects until it is done. I get so obsessive that I can't allow myself to believe that I can do a long story slowly._

_Goldeneyedwildmage: Thank you for the bows. Glad I didn't let you down._

**_Chapter 23: Crossings_**

Numair awoke to soft, tender kisses. He wasn't sure if they had closed the distance in sleep or if Daine had moved over with the purpose of waking him. "Still love me?" she asked.

He smiled. "Always." If she had waited to ask until he was more awake, she might not have gotten so straight an answer, but she seemed satisfied with it all the same.

"Even though I'm covered in dust and managed to lose my weapon?" she continued. She was obviously baiting him now.

"Do you need reassurance or are you fishing for compliments?" he asked.

She chewed her bottom lip for a moment. "Both, I think."

He laughed softly and sat up. "You should have questions. I have questions." She inched over and automatically he wrapped his arms around her. "I know you don't want to discuss the future until the war is over and we're back home. I can refrain from that. But if you're asking if I'm going to change my mind – the answer is no. I've been in love with your for a long time. When I thought you didn't feel the same, I wanted so much for it to go away. But I am resigned." He kissed her cheek. "And as far as the compliments – I think you're beautiful, even covered in dirt, and especially wearing my clothes."

She turned red, but rewarded him with a kiss that left them both panting slightly. Daine snuggled into his chest and he held her there for a long time, neither saying a word. "It's cool enough to get moving again," she said.

"Yes, of course." He stood and gave Daine a hand up. She promptly wrapped her arms around his middle and snuggled into his chest, again rubbing her nose in the chest hair above his shirt. He pulled back from her abruptly. "Magelet, you can't do that."

"Why not?" she asked. "You can't say it's because you need to think now."

He realized she was serious. "Daine, Sweet –" he couldn't believe how much he was blushing. "That – umm – because this part of the river is too swift for me to dunk myself in."

"Oh," she said and blushed too. And now they stood a couple of feet apart, awkwardly stealing glances at one another.

Luckily, the darkings trickled in at that moment. "I'll prepare some food if you want to try to remove some of the dust you think you're covered in," he offered.

"Thank you," she answered, staring at her feet. "How's your magic?"

"Better. Your mother included some tea that seems to help. I thought I would drink some more before we get moving again. I can cut down some clothes for you if you'd like. I could shrink them but we might need the magic later."

"Umm, good idea. I was thinking that I could fly ahead and look for the path and maybe see if I can find Rikash."

"Sensible," he said. And then because he couldn't stand the awkwardness, "That's one of the things I love about you." She smiled warmly.

"You do know how to turn a compliment," she teased before she turned and walked to the river. He chuckled as he began to prepare the food. Only Daine would think it a high compliment to be called sensible. Most women wanted to hear they were gorgeous.

After they had eaten, Numair packed up the camp while Daine flew in hawk form to scout. When she returned and dressed, Daine said, "If we follow the river, it meets a scrubland and beyond that is the Sea of Sand. Unfortunately, Rikash is not yet there. We must hope he arrives soon."

"I did't think they would come until this evening. Afterall, they wouldn't expect us to walk in the heat of the day." He turned and lifted Jelly, who dived beneath his shirt.

"I think Jelly likes you," Daine said, wrapping her arms around his middle and standing on tip toe.

"No accounting for taste," he teased. "If I was a darking, I know who I would prefer to ride with." Daine giggled in his arms. "May I kiss you?"

"Please," she said with a big smile. Their lips met in passionate kiss, but broke when Jelly squeaked in protest. "Sorry, Jelly," she said. "It's probably not safe to hide in his clothes."

"It _was_ the safest place when I was trying to escape the rock creatures," he said, lifting Jelly to his shoulder.

"And Numair, you don't have to ask to kiss me, you know?"

He smiled down at her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said brightly.

They set off as soon as his pack was settled and Daine had finished making a sling from a piece of discarded material. She wanted to have something to contribute if they got into trouble. This time they didn't walk single file, but side by side, her right hand in his left. He preferred to stick together now that their weapons were reduced. The darkings were watching behind them for trouble from positions on their shoulders.

They had walked in silence for a while, only holding hands and enjoying each other's company. It was Daine who broke the silence. "Numair, I promised my ma I'd come back to visit. Would you come too?"

He smiled and lifted her hand to his mouth, kissing the back of her hand while their fingers remained interlaced. "I'll follow anywhere you let me, though I should probably tell you that Weiryn may spend most of the visit using me for target practice."

She looked at him stunned. "I thought the two of you got along well."

"Well, we did try to make it look that way, although it didn't help that he could read my thoughts about you." He told her all about Queenclaw's attempt to give him a magical shield and the things that were said when he had an overemotional reaction to the tauros attack. He edited out the parts about her half-brother. He wanted to give Weiryn a chance to tell her that. "Before we left he said that you could do worse than me. I suppose that was a type of blessing, although I would have preferred something less open to interpretation." She laughed.

"Ma likes you a lot," Daine said.

"Yes, she told me there was no harm in me. Although I'm not sure she'd feel that way if she watched me beat a spidren to death with my staff."

"Do you regret killing it?" she asked, surprised.

"Of course not, but I – it was not necessary to keep striking it once I knew it was dead. That's just a little barbaric." Daine responded by laughing. He looked down at her, one eyebrow cocked and said, "You think that's funny?"

"Actually, what I was thinking was at least you didn't destroy an entire palace. Seems to me that was my reaction when I thought someone killed _you."_

He stopped and stared at her. "I thought you tore down the palace to find Kitten."

"Didn't I tell you I lost my temper because I thought they killed you?"

He thought back, smiling. "I guess you did." He watched her for a moment as they began to walk again. "I think that when we discuss our future, we should probably also revisit the past. I'm curious to know how many other actions I misinterpreted."

She smiled warmly. "Okay."

Both were silent for awhile. They watched the sunset without stopping. "Numair, do you think we can beat Uusoae?"

He squeezed her hand tightly. "I wish I knew. I have not checked the water for news from home since before you fell. I didn't have any dreams before waking the last time – just a dream come true," he said smiling at Daine. She shot him a warm look in return.

"I saw Queen Thayet talking to Goldstreak and the badger when I woke up the first time. They were scheming to use the darkings' intelligence for counterattacks. The second time I saw Alanna in a battle in the north. Her group had caught the Scanrans at a secret river crossing. You were right. This has turned the tide. But still, the war up here –"

"I know," he said. "It seems as if the battle lights here are increasing."

"And we don't know if the dragons will help."

"Or if Rikash will help us cross the Sea of Sand," he added. "We're taking a lot on faith.

"Faith," she shook her head.

"Ironic, yes," he said.

She stopped and then smiled. "I sense Stormwings. I am familiar enough with Rikash now to know that he is one of them."

They walked to a pair of rocks near where Daine sensed them. Daine shifted her eyes to those of an owl. "Queen Barzha and her consort, Hebakh are also there," she whispered. He let her take the lead and he followed closely behind.

She greeted the Stormwings with "Hello" and Numair chuckled silently when a bunch of them jumped in surprise. _They were startled by a skinny young woman carrying a home-made sling shot._

"Don't you make _noise?" _one of them demanded crossly as Numair showed himself.

He hid his amusement and said, "You dine on fear, but don't care to feel it yourself?"

The stormwing looked like he intended a tart response, but Daine stopped him by saying, "Enough, both of you." Numair felt sufficiently chastised. Daine bowed to a mature looking female stormwing wearing a crown and then to the male stormwing wearing a crown. "Queen Barzha and Lord Hebakh. May I present Numair Salmalin." He had actually met them before and had been present in the Carthaki menagerie when Ozorne had been turned into a Stormwing and the two pursued him along with Rikash. Daine continued, "This is Leaf." The darking nodded its knobby head. "And that's Jelly." Jelly stuck a tentacle out from under Numair's shirt where it was hiding and waved. Then it scuttled back under again.

"It hasn't met royalty before, that we know of," Numair explained. He bowed to the Stormwing monarchs and said, "May I say that it is good to see you again?"

"As long as you don't get downwind of us, right, _mortal?"_ taunted a male voice from somewhere behind the queen and her consort.

"Do you challenge my decision, Vekkat?" Barzha asked without looking away from the humans. "Have you questions left unanswered?"

Numair struggled not to laugh, turning to look at his shoes and thinking about magic text to keep his face impassive.

Rikash came up beside Queen Barzha and said to Daine, "I confess, the most amusing part of our association is that I am not sure who is more puzzled by it – you or me." He added wryly, "I'm shocked Sarra let you go out dressed that way." Numair bit his lip to keep from saying something he'd regret.

Daine looked down and then said, "My things got lost. I fell off a cliff."

"You take such a fall well, Veralidaine," Barzha said, her voice cynical. "Rikash tells me I should apologize for not killing Ozorne while I had the chance.

"He's good at survival," Daine remarked. "I know you did your best.."

Hebakh blanched. He shifted from one clawed foot to another nervously. "We have not put the matter aside yet. There will be other chances to explain to Ozorne how things are done _properly_ among our kind."

"In the meantime," Rikash said, "Queen Barzha has agreed that we shall carry you over the Sea of Sand to the portal of the Dragonlands."

"We are in your debt," Added Barzha. You freed us from Emperor Ozorne. We shall feel better if we may repay you.'

Two stormwings flapped over at Hebakh whistle, bearing some dark substance coiled in their talons.

"Your mother helped us to make these slings," explained Rikash. "It won't be an easy ride, but it's the quickest way to cross the desert."

Numair was beginning to feel strange. Rikash kept talking as if he weren't there. But he nodded along with Daine and then helped with securing conveyances while Daine told Barzha about the Stormwings that were disagreeing with Ozorne when they were at Temptation Lake.

"They are finding mortal warfare a bit rich for their stomachs," he heard Barzha say. "Perhaps Mogrul of Razor Scream also feels the pinch, after losing eleven. Perhaps—

"You'll never turn Queen Jachull," Hebakh said. "She is empty. There isn't a Stormwing inside of her, only a void. But the others – they might yet listen to reason."

Numair hoped it were true. It would certainly help if they could turn some of the stormwings back to their side. He made a mental note to talk to Barzha about Queen Jachull. He couldn't help but wonder if she might be the unknown female Stormwing.

Their slings were ready and once their belongings were secured, Daine and Numair sat in the rope webs. Barzha croaked a word which shimmered with her magic and the slings rose enough for the stormwings to grasp them with their talons. Numair thought how much he would love to learn the language of Stormwing magic, just to say he could. Tkaa might know it.

Soon they were airborne. Two stormwings carried Daine's sling, three carried Numair's. But the entire Stonetree Nation was in company – they numbered 63. It was chilly as deserts often are in the midnight hours. Barzha flew close to Numair. He took the opportunity to ask her to describe Jachull and once convinced that she must be the unknown Stormwing from the chess game, he decided to fill Barzha in on the details.

"You believe Jachull is the Stormwing that might be helping Uusoae?" she said a little skeptically once he had finished.

"I cannot be absolutely certain from a description but if I use a little magic now I can show you. Understand, I need to reserve as much as possible in case we run into trouble with the dragons. Before I show you, it would be best if you brought over anyone else you want to see it." She motioned to her mate and Numair did a projection spell of the dream, which was crystal clear in his memory.

When he was through, Barzha only shook her head. "I do not know who that is. But I can promise you that if I find her, I will kill her."

"That is as much as we could ask for," Numair said. "You truly are worthy of the title queen."

She smiled, showing steel teeth. "You aren't so bad for a mortal. You might have made a good Stormwing. Let me know if you ever want to make the change."

He tried not to let his thoughts show. She meant it as a compliment even if it was a revolting thought. "Thank you," he said politely. "However, I am very happy as a human."

-

-

-more to come, of course.


	24. Chapter 24 Arrival

**Disclaimer: Insert generic disclaimer here – include Tamora Pierce's name.**

_A/N: This chapter has some foreshadowing to the"very, very bad" comment at the end of ROTG. The next chapter will be very much like the book. They have the dragon fight. I will add some magic things, but you can expect a lot of word for word because it is all dialogue._

_Silverlake: Thanks_

_Numair's Lover: Again sorry._

_Alanna Cooper: I'll put it up on my registry at some point._

_Nativewildmage: That was fun to write too._

_Hoshiko88: Never call yourself stupid. We all miss things._

_Mhairi: Thank you so much. You are so very kind. I'm both sorry to have kept you up and grateful that you think my efforts are worth insomnia. Yes, I am very prolific and far too obsessive. I joined on 10/24/05 and this is my 8th story (3 are one shots). I do at least one chapter a day._

_Celuna Cirrus: Thanks_

_Sarramaks: As always, thank you so much for all the assistance and ideas. I idolize your writing and keep finding myself thinking in terms of your current story as if it were cannon. That chapter had a lot of the new relationship steps that couples always have to go through and I kept thinking, "No wait – is this contradictory?" and then realizing I was thinking of your those relationship steps in your story. And thank you for helping me continue this story when I almost quit._

_Goldeneyedwildmage: Thanks_

_Bitterosemary: Thank you so much. It has been hard in this story to find room for improvising. It makes the chapters much slower. My copy of RoTG is starting to look very worn and it isn't even 4 months old. _

_Purple Eyed Cat: I hope you still want to read it if it gets published._

_Rauros Falls: Thanks so much._

_**Chapter 24 - Arrival**_

Numair watched the landscape of the sea of sand for awhile. Like most deserts there was life in the endless dunes and it came out at night. Small rodents probably raced the desert floor. Though he could not see them from the air, birds of prey dived for what could only be their next meal. These would, of course, all be gods. So any rodent caught in the open would be immediately born into another body. Numair tried to imagine what that was like. But his existence was linear and his experience did not lend itself to such imaginings.

He must have dozed off, because soon he was awakened by Queen Barzha. "Wake up, Master Salamalin. We're about to land."

The sun was just peaking over the horizon. He turned in his ropes to see Daine being awakened as well. Looking down, he could see they were headed for a flat expanse of sand. At its border was a wall of white and red shimmering magic. It was opaque in that what lay beyond was masked completely.

Numair had seen a spell like this once in the human world. That too was intended to be a border, but it scorched whatever it touched. To his fascination, this wall radiated heat but did not seem to scorch the sand or the cacti near it. Reaching for it cautiously with his gift, it appeared to be deadly.

When they touched ground and landed with a gentle thump, Numair found his muscles were stiff from remaining confined for so long. He winced as he straightened and looked over to see Daine stretching. He winked at her.

Barzha, Hebakh, and Rikash landed in front of them while the other Stormwings hovered in the air. "Our debt to you is paid," the queen told them. "We are going now. If the dragons are unhappy with your presence, we prefer not to be nearby.

"Thank you," Daine and Numair said simultaneously. Daine added, "If you see Ozorne before we do, give him our regards." Numair grinned at her thinking that his regards had something to do with blowing the evil creature up from the inside out.

Barzha and Hebakh only nodded before jumping into flight with the rest of the flock behind them. Rikash gently tapped Daine's arm and then Numair's with his wing. It was an interesting sensation since usually the metal wings of Stormwings were used as weapons. This was more like a friendly pat. "Be polite to the dragons and watch your step," Rikash advised before launching himself to catch up with the Stonetree Nation.

Numair and Daine walked along the fiery curtained border for a few minutes, examining it and looking for some sort of door. As they walked, they had to maintain a distance due to the heat that it emitted. And still, both were sweating from their proximity. "Now what?" Daine finally voiced aloud.

As if in answer a voice chimed in the air around them. "Go away, mortals. You will not be admitted to the Dragonlands. We wish to know none of your kind."

"On the contrary," Numair said mildly, "One dragon knows a great deal of us. My companion is the guardian of the dragonet Skysong." He did not add that his own fondness for Kit left him to think of her as his child.

"The true guardian of a dragon is brave. You are shrinking, cautious beings."

"Oh, really," Daine stalked toward the curtain and into the deadly looking flames.

Shocked and scared witless for her, Numair followed, only hoping to pull her back from certain death. The heat scorched painfully until he felt like he was being seared by mage fire. But strangely enough it was over quickly. The barrier, which had appeared to be a thick wall of magical flames from the outside, was actually thinner than silk. On the other side of the portal lay rolling, sunny hills, and Daine stood there safely, only gasping and sweaty from the intensity of the heat.

He dropped his staff and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Don't you ever – _ever_—frighten me that way again!" He shook her to impress his point and then wrapped his arms around her, clinging in gratitude that she had been right and he had been wrong, and she was still wonderfully alive. "_Ever_," he added. Then he kissed her again, feeling the powerful rush of passion and nearly getting swept away from awareness of where they were and why they were here.

"I don't know," Daine said playfully, staring up at him. "I like this particular kind of tantrum. Besides – at least now they know we're brave enough."

"Speak for yourself," he said, fumbling for his handkerchief. He wiped his face trying not to let her see that his hands were shaking. It was an amazing spell. It had fooled him into believing she would be burned to death and he had followed anyway.

"The darkings?" asked Daine a little frantically. "What if they –?"

The darkings popped their heads out of their hiding places. Jelly had, of course, been in Numair's shirt. Leaf poked its head out from Daine's belt purse and said, "Warm. Fun."

Numair rolled his eyes and chuckled. Jelly was not amused by the trip through the fire. It crept up to Numair's shoulder. "I know it wasn't fun for you," he said soothingly, and petted the darking with a finger.

The darking stretched until it could look Numair in the face – at least that's what he thought it was doing since it darkings don't have eyes. "Fine now," Jelly said. "Get stick." Numair grinned and picked up his staff, thinking that it was ironic that the darkings could be made from the blood of someone so evil when the darkings themselves were so brave and kind.

He set Jelly on the ground so that it could trickle to its friend. The two pooled together discussing something.

"Wait," the portal's voice instructed. "Guides will come for you."

Numair took another moment to examine the wall of fire again. From this side, he could see the intricate layer of spells that made up the complicated illusion. He was only beginning to wrap his mind around advanced dragon magic when he felt Daine slip her arms around from behind him. "Are you still pouting?" she taunted. He could feel the pressure of her head against his shoulder blade.

"I was never pouting," he said in answer. "And I doubt very much if you can see very well from where you are."

He lifted his right arm to fold around her as she walked around. She kept her left arm wrapped around him, just slid her hand as she moved, sending shivers down his spine. "What are you doing then?" she asked.

"I was examining this spell. It's ingenious really. I examined it with my magic from the outside and was convinced it was lethal. You can guess why you nearly scared me to death by _strolling right into it_." There was a sarcastic bite in the last four words that left her sniggering. "From this side I can see the layers of magic to make it look deadly, to make it give off heat that is actually innocuous, to bind those with evil intent but allow those with courage, to respond vocally to a number of stimuli, and to stand indefinitely. This is an interwoven spell using the magic of four individuals, too."

"Wow," she uttered. "Like Dunlath's shield."

"Except," he said with admiration, "This spell has no focusing stones or any other outside means. It is just magic of the highest caliber."

"Am I to lose you to dragons?" she asked teasingly.

He blinked at her. "I'm merely admiring the abilities of masters." He turned within her embrace to face her. "I'm already smitten with you." He kissed her deeply. When they broke the kiss she grinned at him impishly. "What are you thinking?" he said, with a huge smile.

"I was thinking if you impress the dragons half as much as you have me, they might be fair willing to show you some tricks."

He leaned down again, pressing his forehead to hers. "As much as I would like that, we need to keep moving and not dawdle up here. Maybe they will welcome us back when you visit your parents. Or they might be willing to visit Kit in Weiryn's lands." He paused long enough to kiss her again. "How strange it feels to think we might soon go home."

"Umm-hmm," she said. She turned her head, snuggling into his chest and making his heart pound.

"Will we – are things –" Numair struggled. He was nervous about what would come when they returned. She looked up into his eyes, searching his face. "Magelet, will things between us change once we're back?"

"A little, I'm sure. We will have battles to focus on and eight pawns to find and destroy, but –" She reached a hand up to stroke his cheek. "You look so sad," she said.

He had tried to bury the worry and fears of where they would go from here. Apparently in her arms, his emotions were laid bare. "I'm sorry," he offered, lamely.

"I'm still going to want this," she said squeezing him a little. "Only a fool believes nothing changes. There are a lot of friends who may or may not accept us. But I told you how I feel. Don't question it so much."

"I cannot help but worry. I keep expecting to wake up and find I dreamed it all." She promptly pinched him – hard. "Ouch!"

She grinned. "See, you're good and awake." She laughed at her own joke.

"I could teach you a thing or two about awake if you don't mind your manners," he flirted.

"Oh, yeah?" she challenged. "I think I already found one of your weaknesses." She mimicked rubbing her nose on his chest, but was actually about an inch away.

He stared down at her for a moment, not sure if he dared to play this game. But then she lifted one hand and drew idle circles under the edge of his collar with her thumb. So he kissed her jaw and nibbled his way to her neck and earlobe until she moaned very softly. Then he stopped and let her go taking a step back and smiling slyly.

"You are a bad, bad man," she gasped.

"Just remember who started it," he said lightly.

The two darkings trickled over, Jelly heading for Numair, while Leaf leaped onto Daine's foot. Both bent simultaneously to pick up their passengers and lift them to their shoulders. When they realized they had both reacted exactly the same, Numair and Daine chuckled.

They began to fidget, wondering exactly when the expected guides would arrive. At last, Numair saw Daine react to Leaf tugging her hair. They looked up to see two creatures trotting toward them. They were very similar to kitten with long, reptilian snouts and colorful scales. They were younger dragons with tiny wings that were incapable of flight.

A bright white one reached them first. This one was smaller than its companion – merely four feet long with a two-foot tail. When the other arrived, Numair could see it was nearly the same height as Daine (5'6") with steel-gray and black scales intermixed. Unlike the white dragon, this one was calmer and much less obviously enthralled by the appearance of mortals.

_--We're to take you to our grandsire – _the white dragon told them, speaking to their minds, not their ears. _–You're the first mortals we've ever seen. It's very exciting! I'm Icefall, only the elders call me Scamp. My cousin – well, she's really a third cousin twice removed – her name is Steelsings, only I call her Grizzle because she's so old._

_--Welcome to the Dragonlands,--_ said Steelsings/Grizzle, mind voice grave, --_Ignore Scamp. She has only two centuries. She doesn't know very much.—_

_--You've only one more century than me! _– accused Scamp. –_You don't have your wings yet either!—_

Numair hid a smile behind one hand. Not only did they pour information that wasn't necessary, but the irony of their years was entertaining. He couldn't begin to imagine what information he could amass if he could live as long as these creatures. And yet their behavior was extremely like that of a budding adolescent, despite the ages of 200 and 300 years. The contrast to kitten made her seem like an infant by comparison.

_--Children should be seen, not heard –_ Grizzle said, cuffing Scamp. Then the gray dragon looked to Daine and Numair. _–Follow us, please--._

Numair sincerely hoped the rest of the dragons were as much fun as these two.


	25. Chapter 25 Dragonmeet

**Disclaimer: I'm tired of Disclaimers. I'm sure you know by now it belongs to Tamora Pierce.**

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_Ethalas Tuath'an: They can't react the same to everything. Besides, he is nearly as curious as they are._

_**Chapter 25 – Dragonmeet**_

If any outsider had been watching, they likely would have thought the group an odd assortment. Two quiet humans, one calm and proper dragon, one chattering dragon and a small inky _thing_. Of course there was another darking. Jelly was keeping a low profile. Leaf had popped its head out to squeak angrily at Scamp after the smaller dragon had pelted them with questions that made it clear she thought humans were war-loving barbarians. Once Leaf appeared the questioning turned to what a darking was and how it had come to be with Daine and Numair.

Numair had to admit that the constant curiosity was a little annoying, but then he could see its purpose also. Dragons could count on being around for centuries. Without curiosity to drive them, they might become complacent and lose the ability to organize their minds in the way the creatures had for centuries. It was one of things that he supposed truly separated them from wyverns and it was why they considered themselves cousins to basilisks, who improved themselves by means of the same thirst for knowledge.

And despite all he had learned of dragons from Tkaa and Kitten, Numair found that he was vastly ignorant on such things as social structure. He made the mistake of asking if the grandfather both Scamp and Grizzle referred to was the king. Scamp had no notion of what a king was and though Grizzle seemed to know basically, both dragons had a misconception that all mortals were ruled by a king. Numair didn't correct it. Although he was certain that the two would find the information fascinating, he could envision being barraged with questions until mid-winter.

_--I wouldn't like to be mortal –_ Scamp was saying after Daine confirmed for her that mortals had to change leaders regularly because of their lifespan. _–Uncle Moonwind has been teaching me about mortality. It sounds uncomfortable –_

_--He's not really our uncle – _Grizzle corrected. –_Just like Grandsire isn't our grandfather, exactly. He's our great-great-great… I don't remember how many greats. There are a lot of them. Grandfather. He's the oldest –_

_--No,—_interrupted Scamp. _–Moonwind, Rainbow, and Cometfern are older.— _Numair was struggling not to laugh. It had just dawned on him why people were so irritated by his lists.

_--He's the biggest,--_ Grizzle continued impatiently. --Now_ what are you looking ?—_demanded the older dragon: Scamp was staring at the sky. When she did not answer, Grizzle looked up. _–Uh-oh.—_

They could see something enormous cresting over a hill. It could only be another dragon – this one blue-green. As it grew closer they could make out giant, batlike wings outlined in silver.

"Is there a problem?" Numair asked.

_--It's Jewelclaw,--_ replied Grizzle. –_He's not very nice.—_

_--He can't do anything, --_ Scamp said, but she trembled obviously. Waves of pink, the color that Kitten always exhibited when she was frightened washed over her body. Turning to Grizzle, Numair saw that her gray scales seemed to be slightly rose tinted as well. _–They're here to see Grandsire, not him.—_

Jewelclaw lit on the ground in front of them and strode ominously forward. Numair suspected the intention was intimidation as the air shimmered slightly around the large dragon. That was similar to the tactics he had used to keep Volney Rain from gossiping about the portrait of Daine that Numair had commissioned from him. This dragon was larger than he had ever imagined. He had once seen an adult dragon. Kit's mother was about twenty feet long. This dragon was probably twice that with a tail of about twenty feet. His emerald colored eyes fixed on them with a cold stare. Lightning began to jump over his scales. Whatever this dragon knew of mortals had been enough to make him prejudiced to their presence here.

_--Who let mortals into the Dragonlands?—_his mind-voice roared. _You two will find this to be far more serious than your usual pranks! _ He ruffled his scales indignantly and the grass under his talons began to scorch.

Grizzle jumped between Jewelclaw and the humans crying, _–You can't touch them--. _She behaved bravely but was clearly afraid. Her scales no longer showed any gray – they were puce. Scamp had also turned completely pink, but scrambled to stand next to Grizzle in shoulder-to-shoulder defiance of the larger dragon. Grizzle added, ­_--They are under Grandsire's protection.—_

_--Then Diamondflame will answer to the Dragonmeet! Out of my way!—_Jewelclaw commanded. _–They will be my captives!—_

_--No! She's the one who's raising Skysong!—_Scamp's voice was shrill, but firm.

_--Raising? Or imprisoning?—_

Numair felt his temper surge and crossed his arms. He kept his voice calm and said, "If you know anything about the young members of your race, you know that captivity is not an issue. I do not believe there is a cage that could hold Kit – Skysong – if she wished to get out." This was mostly true, although Ozorne had managed to cage the young dragon for a time. Numair didn't doubt she would have found a way out eventually.

Numair heard Leaf begin to chitter angrily at Jewelclaw from Daine's shoulder and then to his surprise, Jelly thrust its head from his shirt and added its own squeaks to the tirade.

--_Must we tell Grandsire you took them from us?—_ Grizzle asked threateningly.

_--The old newt has gone senile—_snarled Jewelclaw. He flew off abruptly, creating so much wind with his wings that the whole party staggered.

_--He is _not _senile!—_Scamp shouted, but it got no reaction. Then the smaller dragon grumbled, _--I'll bet his mother was a wyvern.— _Clearly it was an insult in poor taste, but Numair had to struggle not to snigger at it.

_--Scamp!—_Grizzle chastised.

--_I don't care. He's mean. He's always rotten. Come on,-- _ Scamp said, motioning to Numair and Daine. _–Before anyone else comes after us.—_

Their path took them to a bridge that looked like it was made from spun glass. The two dragons raced across it fearlessly, but Daine and Numair were hesitant. It looked like mere humans might slide right off. They tested the bridge gingerly with their feet. At that moment a crackling filled the air. Grizzle and Scamp halted abruptly and reared up to look around. Numair felt Jelly skitter back to hide in his shirt.

_-There has been a change.—_The voice boomed in Numair's head from every direction. He turned to Daine and saw her wince. He knew she could hear it too.

_--Grandsire, Jewelclaw came and yelled,--_ Scamp cried indignantly.

_--I know it. He and the other Separatists have been dinning my ears since our guests came through the portal. They have called the Dragonmeet.—_

Whatever the Dragonmeet was, it must not be a good thing. Scamp seemed to shrink back and turned a nauseating color of pinkish-green. Grizzle simply said, _-Uh-oh.-_

_--Take them to the amphitheatre,-- _ordered the voice. _–Do not enter the floor with them, mind. Sit among our people._ The voice and the presence faded from their surroundings.

_--Turn back,--_ Grizzle said, dropping to all fours. _–At least it isn't far to go.—_

Numair and Daine carried on a brief discussion with their eyes. She looked as nervous as he felt. "May we get a drink?" he heard her ask. "And I need to relieve myself." The dragons nodded and Daine slipped behind the bushes. Numair turned to the guides and said, "These separatists aren't fond of humans are they?"

Grizzle said, _--That's an understatement.--_

He went to the stream to drink and wash his face and Daine soon joined him.

"What do you think?" he asked her in a whisper.

"We have to go. We can't force dragons, only persuade."

He smiled to her reassuringly. Inside, however, he felt anything but sure about what they would face in the coming moments.

Scamp and Grizzle looked at them anxiously from where they stood on the stream bank. _–Are you finished?—_Grizzle asked. –_It's a bad idea to keep a Dragonmeet waiting.—_

They followed the dragons uphill from the bridge on a broad track through tall grass. At the top of the hill they found themselves looking into a deep, tiered oval in the earth. Though it was landscaped to seem as natural as possible, it clearly wasn't. A huge blue formation that vaguely resembled a dragon lay at one end of the arena. Numair wondered if it was an artist rendition of a great historical figure or was merely aesthetically pleasing to dragons in some strange way.

The tiers looked like they were built as seating for dragons and many of the creatures had already gathered. Numair saw Jewelclaw on the western ramp. Miniature lightning still played over his scales and he glared angrily at them before returning to his conversation with a sixty-foot dragon with pearl-white scales. That dragon had fire dancing intermittently along his scales as well.

_--The pearly one – that's Moonwind,--_ Grizzle introduced. _–She's one of the oldest. Her grandson Summerwing was the last dragon to willingly visit the mortal realms. That was before the Dragonmet put a ban on visits. Umm… --_

_--Stay away from Moonwind,--_ Scamp advised. _–She isn't even nice to people she likes.—_

"Just how old is this dragon?" Numair asked.

Scamp cocked her head, _--Fifty-five centuries, I think—_

_--Fifty-nine,-- _corrected Grizzle. _–Come on. This way.—_The gray and black dragon began to lead them toward the arena floor.

"Your grandsire said you weren't to come with us," Daine reminded quietly.

Numair looked around the room. There were dragons of all colors and sizes here. The amassed knowledge in this room must be staggering.

Suddenly seven young dragons barreled toward them, swarming around Daine and Numair with such evident curiousity in their eyes that he found it almost comical. One was nearly as small as Kit while others were as big or bigger than Scamp and Grizzle. A handful of Dragons fifteen and twenty feet long, walked majestically behind them. Numair was reminded of the young ladies of court as they were introduced each season – noses in the air as if they were too perfect to be bothered by lesser persons, but stealing glances at everyone and everything around them.

_--We'll all escort you,--_ Grizzle announced proudly. Numair and Daine found themselves being swept along to the arena floor by an entourage of young dragons.

They were treated to a swarm of questions from every direction. It was hard to tell who had asked what. -_-Are you mortals?-- -Of course they are stupid. How long do you live?--- --What are the mortal realms like?—Do you spend all your time killing each other?-- --Why do you spend all your time killing each other-- --What do you eat?-- --Have you ever met any of the Great Gods?-- --What precisely is a catapult used for?-- --Why don't humans have wings?-- --Where do you go when you die?-- --How many humans are there?-- _Numair kept trying to answer each politely, but it was like trying to bail water from a sinking ship with a soup spoon. And suddenly the air seemed to explode near them as a sixty-foot dragon appeared out of thin air.

_--Aunt Nightbreath!—_Grizzle exclaimed. _–You're not supposed to materialize so close to everyone else!—_

_--Oh, tut,--_ the dragon replied, _--I haven't fouled anyone in a materialization since I was your age. I was in a hurry. This may be my only chance to see humans before these two are made into fertilizer for Moonwind's rosebushes.—_Numair sized her up, slightly irritated. She looked mischievous and was obviously trying to scare them. He could see the end of the spell gathering into her flesh with another spiral twist.

And suddenly he understood something for the first time about dragon magic that was the kind of epiphany that might just help them if it came down to it. Dragon magic was not that much different than the gift. But they used their power differently, building into each spell another spell to recharge them. It was brilliant really. Unlike himself, they could recharge endlessly. Humans couldn't use the same kind of recharging spell, but he could gather the power from them. He felt Daine's hand reach for his own and laced his fingers with hers, squeezing lightly to reassure her. They walked hand-in-hand to the center of the amphitheatre floor and they and their escort stopped there. "It will be alright," he told Daine, but she didn't seem to be able to hear him.

Three dragons materialized on the highest part of the arena. The blast of air cause by their arrival made Numair and Daine stagger and Numair felt Daine's hand tighten in his own. All three of those new arrivals were at least 100 feet in length. The biggest one was easily 120 feet long and colored a delicate, pale green.

_--That's Wingjade. My father.—_Scamp introduced.

"Biiiig," commented Leaf.

"Too big," squeaked Jelly from the V in Numair's shirt.

_--We start,-- _boomed a golden dragon directly across the amphitheatre from where they stood. _–Diamondflame is charged with ignoring the will of the Dragonmeet, and with permitting humans to enter the Dragonlands. Humans, the question is asked: Why have you come here?—_

Numair looked to Daine, who was pale and nervous. As much as loved her, he wasn't officially anything to Kit, and had no right to speak. "You should do the talking," he said softly. "You're Kitten's guardian."

She opened her mouth as if to reply but a mind-voice interrupted with _–No one cares what they want! Kill them!—_Searching for the speaker, Numair saw a mottled black and white dragon sit up. Then they heard it again. _–Kill them and bring Skysong home!—_

_-_

_-_

I hate to leave it here. It has gotten so long that I need to break. Sadly I did not get to the part that is extremely different. Hopefully you can bear with me for some magical explanations and what happens when Daine was knocked out.


	26. Chapter 26 Facing Down the Dragon

_**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it belongs to Tamora Pierce.**_

_**I apologize to all anonymous reviewers that I had to disable that access. I hope it won't have to be permanent. Unfortunately, I had no choice.  
**_

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_Bitterosemary: As always, thank you so much. I really had fun with the bad, bad man. You'll see in this one why Numair used the word damaged in cannon and some fun with magic._

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_Goldeneyedwildmage: All ages use the "your mother" insults. It always made sense to me that other lifeforms would too. I always loved that line in the book and had to take a moment to highlight it._

_**Chapter 26 – Facing Down A Dragon**_

_-Our laws bid us to first hear what they have to say.-- _Numair wasn't certain who the speaker had been.

Moonwind sat up on her haunches. _– They and their defenders lost their right to claim justice under our law when my grandson was murdered by their kind. _Look _at them. Already they cause trouble here. Already they try to seduce our young away from us. –_

_--We aren't seduced! – _cried a younger dragon. _–They're new; they're different. We could learn from them – except you and your crowd have closed minds!—_

Moonwind roared, _--Silence!-- _Her mind-voice was so loud that Numair and Daine cringed, while the young dragon who had spoke clawed at his muzzle.

_--Now you've done it,--_ whispered Grizzle to the gagged youngster. _–You'd better hope that she takes the Silence off you before you get too hungry.—_Numair was starting to hate Moonwind. He wanted very badly to release the young dragon from her spell.

_--If you felt that humans were not to be treated with under our law, Sister Moonwind, you should have amended the law in the four centuries since your loss, -- _snapped a new adult. _– You know as well as I that all changes in law must be reviewed, debated, and considered. You cannot demand that it be changed here and now.—_ Numair stared in disbelief. This creature had hung on to a prejudice and desire for vengeance for 400 years. He thought idly, _Her mother had to be a wyvern. Dragons love intellect far too much to allow themselves to be stagnated by a thirst for revenge._

"Excuse me," he heard Daine say. The noise in the room was terrible. Dragons were quarrelling with one another. There were angry red scales on nearly every dragon present and lightning in sheets or threads, danced over more than a few. Numair didn't see how this farce of a debate was going to solve anything. "Excuse me!" She could never be heard this way.

"Try again," Numair murmured to her and placed a hand at the nape of her neck sending his Gift into the vocal folds to amplify her voice.

"EXCUSE ME!" Her voice thundered through the amphitheatre. Daine winced visibly and Numair released some of the amplification. "All we want is to go home – that's it. We don't like being here any more than you want us. So, if you could take us back to the mortal realms, we're quits."

_-- No one asked you.—_Jewelclaw did more than sit up. He stepped onto the ramp and began to walk down toward them. Balls and rails of lightening raced around his hide as it morphed to livid crimson. _–You _humans_. How could we have allowed you to continue to exist, with your murderous hearts, your waste and your noise? It's time to scour the mortal realms clean. We can start with you.--_

Numair had reached the limits of his patience with that single threat. _You accuse us of having murderous hearts but look at you,_ he thought. His own anger swelled as his gift grew around him in defense of Daine and humankind. "You _dare." _A magical pressure surrounded them, anchoring him to the dragon magic he planned to _borrow._

_--Do you think we fear you, mortal?—_the black and white dragon asked as he stepped on the ramp behind Jewelclaw. _–No human can face down a dragon!—_

Moonwind vanished from her station to reappear on the beaten floor. Numair saw the force of her materialization burst like a sudden wind and throw Daine back. It only served to further enrage him. He lifted Jelly from his shirt and handed it to Scamp, ignoring the darking's protests. Numair didn't want to accidentally harm the darking, afterall. He began to gather power from the posturing dragon as he advanced on her. Moonwind, in her self-important rampage, failed to realize that he was draining her.

_--There are mortals who may battle us on an equal footing—_said a lean, knobby dragon. Numair wasn't sure if he was warning Moonwind, or simply stating a fact. The two dragons on the ramp stopped and even Moonwind looked at the knobby dragon. –_Not many, but some. Your coterie has chosen to ignore that which does not add to your overweening selfishness in regard to which species have importance, and which ones do not … Or are you merely stupid? I never could decide which it was, though perhaps I should have.—_

_--You do not understand the matter, Ancestor Rainbow!—_retorted the black-and-white dragon.

Numair looked closely at Rainbow and realized this dragon had no pupils. But the fact that he was blind might not mean he hadn't realized what Numair was doing. Either way, he seemed to be an ally and Numair would treat him as such.

_--Do I not?—_he asked mildly. –_Well, you are entitled to your opinions, Riverwind, however foolish they may be. I too am entitled to my opinion, which is that I grow weary of your bad manners. Leave the Dragonmeet.—_

Riverwind reared, clawing the shimmering air with his forepaws, screeching so high and so loudly that the sound grated on Numair's ears. The screech diminished and he vanished from sight in a whirlwind of magic that seemed to emanate from Rainbow.

All at once the room exploded in the sound of the many mind-voices arguing at once. But Jewelclaw said. _–The humans are mine!—_He trotted down the ramp. Moonwind raised a forepaw and unfurled her immense wings. Numair looked back and forth between the two threats, and finally focused on Moonwind, who was closer. The air was rippling and bending visibly before his eyes with the magic he was pulling from her. Its tingle excited him and he itched to put it to use with a longing that seemed to come from outside of him.

Numair glanced at Daine. She grounded him and he needed to remember that he was Numair Salmalin, not a dragon. But at that very moment, he saw Daine leap, shifting smoothly to goshawk form and taking flight. She wanted to help and didn't realize that she did by her very presence.

_--Enough!—_a new voice came from the west and sounded like the one Numair had heard by the bridge. Jewelclaw seemed to freeze.

_--When did my personal invitation to guests of my clan become a matter for every wing and claw in the Dragonlands to discuss, and interfere with? -- _It came from what Numair had taken to be a crude statue of a dragon, as the newcomer uncoiled himself. Diamondflame – Grandsire – was a dragon over eighty feet in length. This dragon had a presence that made Numair's magical senses scream with urgency. This dragon's magic was stronger than the others on the floor. He approached Moonwind and Numair, eyeing Numair curiously.

Diamondflame was a deep blue, almost black, with flecks of gold and violet. A gold crest rose from his broad forehead and swept down to his shoulders. It almost looked like a crown, although Numair knew he was not a monarch by his understanding of the terms.

_-- I understand your grief for your grandson, Moonwind, but only to a point. With no law passed by the Dragonmeet, I am entirely within my rights to welcome my grandchild's guardians to my home. It should not matter if they are human, dragons, or dragonflies. They are my guests, and no business of the Dragonmeet!--_

--_Ancestor Rainbow, I demand a ruling – _hissed the pearl scaled dragon. _–Humans in the Dragonlands are no matter of personal choice as Diamondflame has said, but of the will of the Dragonmeet. I vote to dump them into the Sea of Sand and let them cook.—_

Diamondflame defended, --_Will the Dragonmeet now tell each dragon what guest to have, what to read, when to have children? I am within my rights, the ones granted to me and to every dragon by the Golden Dragonmeet, to accept the visit of the guardians of my grandchild, without certain _meddlers _getting involved.—_

_--Now he calls "meddlers" those who wish only to see dragonkind return to power in all the realms!—_Jewelclaw bellowed. _–Have you old and conservative ones turned to wyverns and salamanders?—_Numair thought it awfully rich for Jewelclaw to accuse the others of the closed-minded behavior that he was exhibiting.

_--Humans or no human, I must say that I have not heard such insolence from the young in the last thousand years as I have heard today.—_Rainbow lowered himself from his grassy seat and walked over to Diamondflame. _–I will judge now.—_The dragon stretched in a sort of grandeur, unfurling iridescent wings that had probably not carried him in a couple thousand years. _–I ordain as Rainbow Windheart, governor of the Dragonmeet, oldest of the Firefolk, with a hundred centuries under my wings; by the compact of the Godwars and the vote of the Golden Dragonmeet, I speak for all of us, until the day comes that I am taken back to Mother Flame.—_

Rainbow settled and turned those blind eyes on the blue-green dragon, and then he spoke icily, _--Out of my sight, Jewelclaw. If I see you before a century has passed, I shall not be so kind again as I am right now.—_ Rainbow threw a bolt of magic at Jewelclaw. But the latter dodged it neatly and flew at the goshawk that was Daine, snarling and snapping his jaws.

Without a second thought, Numair threw the dragon magic at Jewelclaw in a large net, scooping him away from Daine and pinning him in mid-air. But to his horror, Rainbow reached for Daine magically at the same time and she cried in pain and dropped, instantly human again.

Black fire cradled her and set her gently at his feet. He knelt beside her. She was breathing, but seemed to be unconscious. _–Forgive me, I meant only to pull her to safety,-- _He heard Rainbow say.

Then he lifted his gaze in time to see Moonwind attempt to throw fire. Numair had left her very little magic. The dragon stared at him astonished and began to snap her muzzle in her fury. He stood and held her back with another blast of power, pinning her near Jewelclaw in mid-air. Turning to the darkings he said, "Cloth her, please." Leaf, Jelly and Scamp headed to retrieve Daine's clothes. Grizzle stood there, mouth agape, unmoving.

Looking around, Numair realized that Diamondflame was holding back the remaining separatists with a force that rippled with the strongest magic he had ever witnessed. One by one the separatists took their leave, either by their own means, or with assistance from Diamondflame.

Rainbow wandered forward, staring at the scene with blind eyes. Numair wondered what sense he used to observe. Then those milky white eyes were on him. _–This is impressive, mage. But I will not allow you harm a dragon.—_

"I had no intention of harm. You will notice that I did not completely drain Moonwind. The Dragon Codex says that will kill a dragon and I do not kill unless I'm forced to."

_--Liar! Humans are murderous, despicable lower beings—_Moonwind mumbled from her paralyzed position. A bolt of fire from Diamondflame stopped her rantings.

"Den forska pa fierstan att den allrastor efterstrava," Numair said. The amphitheatre went completely silent. "The search for intellect is the highest aspiration," he translated. "Isn't that your credo?" He knew it from the Dragon Codex. "Except, Moonwind, intellect is hampered by prejudice and a refusal to keep an open mind." He turned to the young dragon that had been silenced by Moonwind's temper-tantrum and pulled the spell into his magical net. Instantly the dragon could open its mouth again. "You should listen to your young more often, Moonwind. Sometimes a fresh perspective has the right of it." The young dragon moved closer to Rainbow and seemed as shocked as the rest of the group. "To assume all humans are murderous is as foolish as assuming the whole world is covered with sand because you happened to be born in the desert."

Rainbow began to laugh with a dry, scratchy sound. _–You are a most fascinating human.—_

Jewelclaw, who had remained silent and still until now, said, _--In a real dragon fight he would die a quick death.--_

"Accurate assessment," Numair answered. "Of course, I could take out one before I died. Be assured that one would be you. It was you who threatened to kill myself and the woman I love, so that you could take the dragonet I love as my own child away from the only home she has ever known. And yet, I stand here letting you spew your poison. Tolerance, Jewelclaw, is a virtue you should cultivate."

A roar of laughter in numerous mind-voices followed. Numair saw Diamondflame's spiraling magic reach for Moonwind, as Rainbow's spiraling magic reached for Jewelclaw. Both dragons disappeared.

"Wait," Numair said frantically, "I still have Moonwind's magic. I had intended to return it." Rainbow merely laughed again. His magic spiraled, separating the dragon power from Numair's gift neatly. "Thank you," he responded.

He returned to where Daine lay on the floor, still out cold. The darkings had returned her clothing and she looked somewhat peaceful.

_-How did you come to learn to wield dragon power?—_It was the voice of a gray and gold dragon, not quite 60 feet in length.

"I figured it out here actually. I've seen Kit – Skysong's magic of course. I've worked with her often to develop it. I had a brief encounter with Kit's mother when she attacked us thinking that we were the ones who forced her through the barrier. She was very brave by the way and her loss was devastating." He paused for a moment. He had not thought about that courageous violet dragon in some time. He was a little amazed at how much had changed since then. He had been unable to protect his friends from her while she attacked. Now he was glad. The means to fight here had been necessary, but might have kept Kit's mother from conversing with Daine and therefore, Kit would not have been born. The dragons shifted impatiently and he returned to answering their question. "As I watched you argue today, I suddenly came to understand how you never seem to drain. I simply had to intercept the recharging spell." He stroked Daine's hair while he spoke. "Will Daine be all right?" The longer she remained unconscious, the more worry he felt.

_--If there is any damage, I can repair it.—_Diamondflame answered. _–We have looked in on Skysong. She seems to be in good hands and you appear to feed her hunger for learning.—_

Numair only nodded. He assumed the dragons looked in on Skysong in the same way that Weiryn and Sarra looked in on Daine. He stood, pacing nervously.

_--Why are you here, mage?—_Rainbow asked.

Numair explained the events that brought them. "We had no idea that we would cause such an uproar. Will the separatists continue to fight you?"

_--The only way dragons can live together is to vow to keep their muzzles out of one another's private lives.—_Rainbow answered. _–When we wrote our laws at the Golden Dragonmeet, we made sure of that. When I spoke in my office as governor, they could not argue, under the laws of that same meet.—_

"Awake now!" Leaf squeaked. Numair rushed back to Daine.

"What happened?" she asked, blinking up at the scene before her.

Rainbow moved in to examine her. _–Forgive my lack of precision in grabbing you out of harm's way, Godborn. I allowed Jewelclaw to upset me. What you felt was dragon magic, nothing more.—_

"I'm glad it was nothing more." Daine said. "Think how upsetting it might be to get squeezed from a shape – like milk from a teat – by something big."

Numair, caught between worry and amusement at her words asked, "Is she all right? Not – damaged?"

_--She seems well enough now,--_ Diamondflame answered.

"You don't know her as I do. She's _never _this philosophical about surprises." He smiled at Daine, waiting for her usual tart response. That would tell him if she was really okay.

Rainbow helped the girl to a sitting position. She said quietly, "My bones are all wobbly." Numair reached to steady her as she turned her head, searching the arena. "Where'd everybody go?"

_--Where they would have been if Moonwind and her Separatists had not chosen to meddle in business that was not theirs,--_ Diamondflame answered. _–They have gone home. Ancestor Rainbow ruled that your visit, concerned as it was with returning to my grandchild, was a matter for my clan alone.—_

Numair and Rainbow helped Daine to her feet.

_--Who will help me convey these mortals out of the Dragonlands?—_Diamondflame asked.

The young dragons literally begged to go but Diamondflame looked down his muzzle at them and they silenced instantly. _ – Those of you who can fly are too small. The rest of you cannot fly at all – and fly you must. You will remain here, and mind Ancestor Rainbow.—_

_--I will come with you.—_It was the gray-and-gold dragon that had spoken earlier. _–I am Wingstar. Your Skysong is my grandchild. The least I can do is to bring her humans back to her.—_

_--Climb onto us,--_ ordered Diamondflame. _–I believe the Dragonmeet is done.—_ Most of the dragons had left, save the young ones. The rest of the older ones vanished one by one.

Numair picked up Jelly and returned him to his shirt. The little darking took a moment to grumble about being given to a dragon to hold and being poked and examined by all the other dragonets. Turning he saw Leaf was again on Daine's neck. He reached over to Daine and brushed her cheek with his hand.

_--I will take you, Weiryn's daughter. You do not appear to have so many bony angles to you,--_ spoke Wingstar.

Daine grinned at Numair, obviously amused and climbed onto Wingstar's back. Numair ascended Diamondflame's foreleg and then perched on his back. _–Hold onto my crest,--_ Diamondflame ordered as his mate simultaneously gave Daine the same instructions.

"Wait!" Daine cried. "When we came through last time, we – more me, but both of us for a while – got fair sick. We need to tell you –"

_--Nothing,--_ interrupted Diamondflame. _–You were brought here by lesser gods, not by dragons. You will not become ill in the least.—_

Numair grinned as Daine looked slighted. With that the dragons took to the air and they began the journey home.

_-_

_-_

_Obviously there is still more to come._


	27. Chapter 27 Allies

**Disclaimer: It's Tamora Pierce's**

_**Once again I apologize to all anonymous reviewers. I loved your input and feel so bad that I had to disable it. I hope it will not be a permanent thing.**_

_Crazed Fuzzle – Yes, I will be all over it. And probably she will have a completely different concept of his past than I do. But I figure that since it isn't written yet, I can get away with it. Thank you for noticing that there is something different in every chapter too. Sometimes they are hard to see and there have been a few complaints. This type of writing is so hard because when Daine and Numair are together it is hard to tuck in new stuff. If I leave those parts out it doesn't flow. You and a few other loyal readers have been kind enough to understand and it is so very much appreciated._

_Bitterosemary – This time I used Scandinavian to help me make the language seem realistic. Isn't the net great? I can look up anything. I loved making the dragon code too. I have some neat stuff in store for the fight with Hadensra and I plan to fill in some more space left open in the book as you will see below._

_Nativewildmage: Numair would have made a good dragon, he even insults like they do. I'm glad you liked that. _

_Purple Eyed Cat: It was fun for him to use their magic against them. I went and checked when he tried to fight Kit's mother unsuccessfully and thought either he has learned a lot in three years, he was too drained at that time to help, or he uses something he doesn't always have access to. Consequently, he used their own magic._

_Sarramaks: The farewell is later because I'm filling in more. I kept thinking that they haven't eaten since the previous day or slept except while being carried over the sea of sand and that it was too much. So I filled in more time below._

**Chapter 27 – Allies**

Soaring through the air atop a dragon was not like anything Numair had ever experienced. He could feel wind pushing against him and see the spiral of more magic. The fact that everything through dragon magic seemed to exist in spirals was not missed on him. Even the flight pattern they were taking through the clouds was like a spiral. He wondered if gift could morph in such a manner and perhaps the whirlwind pattern could make it more powerful. It was something he would very much like to experiment with. He also wanted his own version of a recharging spell. But it was one thing to interrupt a working spell and redirect it; it was quite another to create the thing in the first place. It was the sort of spell he might spend half a lifetime pursuing and still not perfect.

They pushed through the clouds and emerged into chill, clear air where what looked the entire Stonetree Nation awaited them. Numair waived to Queen Barzha, grateful to see that she took her oaths seriously. If that unknown female stormwing were recognized by Barzha or Hebakh, she was as good as dead. He could ask for no more.

_--You have interesting friends,--_ remarked Wingstar.

"If you don't mind, we will go with you to the mortal realms," Barzha's voice was faint and he had to strain to hear. "We have business to settle." _And a dragon escort can't be a bad thing,_ Numair thought to himself.

_--I will not wait if you fall behind,--_ Diamondflame warned them. Numair wondered idly what dragons thought of stormwings and vice versa. He had severely disliked the separatists, but otherwise thought that dragons were amazing. He could spend years just learning from them easily.

Numair was only beginning to process the things he had seen in the Dragonlands. He had never really thought about Kit's future before, as he had been so uncertain as to whether he would have much of a role in it. Now, he was starting to feel that Daine might consider marriage and Kit was very much a part of her life. With regards to Daine, there was one fact he was certain of, he couldn't go back now. He would never again be able to be her friend without longing for more. If ever she changed her mind, he would pine himself into nothingness. And with regard to Kit, it was good and right that he should have parental feelings for her. Daine would not want a man who did not accept Kit. This was in his favor.

As he watched the rise and fall of Diamondflame's wings it occurred to Numair that he would never see Kitten fly. Scamp obviously couldn't fly but was 200 years old. As much as he loved Kitten and as much as Daine loved her, they could do nothing to assure there would be someone to care for her after they were gone. Tkaa might be willing, but it seemed more likely that Kit would return to the Dragonlands. She shouldn't have just one experience with her family. He knew Daine would agree with this.

Quietly Numair offered, "You know, Diamondflame, that you are welcome to visit Skysong any time. We would be pleased to have you and I'm certain she would be thrilled to spend time with you. Once the war is over I'm certain that Skysong will have plenty of questions for you about life in the Dragonlands and it would be ideal for her to get the opportunity to build a relationship with her dragon family."

_--I am learning a great deal about mortals that I never considered before,--_ the giant blue dragon said softly. _–She is a daughter in your heart, isn't she?—_

"Yes. I have even been known to do stupid things to try to protect her from pain." He chuckled as he remembered the lecture from Jon and Kit's amazing strength in front of the Wyverns."

_--Her mother left Skysong in the custody of Weiryn's daughter. We knew you cared for her too from those times when we looked in on her, but I never realized that your connection was so close. I thought your connection was limited to your love for the girl.—_

"To lose either would break my heart. I think I might have a fondness for dragons. We have a yearning for knowledge in common."

_--You might have made a good dragon.—_

Numair laughed. "I was also told recently that I would make a good stormwing. That assessment is one I'd like to dispute. However, I might like to be a dragon – though only if Daine were one. Nevertheless, I believe Father Universe said that a wise soul strives to be the best of what they are and does not waste time on what they are not."

_--Very good. Few dragons understand the meaning of that. I am impressed.—_

"I consider that the highest praise," Numair said. They began a spiraling descent, and Numair felt as if fingers were once again grabbing for him, though this time damp and clammy. It was an interesting realization, as he had thought the impression of hands grabbing them before was actually Sarra or Weiryn's hands. Now he realized it was the feeling of the barrier itself.

Gray fog settled upon them thickly. It was impossible to see for a moment or two and then they broke through a cloud bank and saw the patterns of civilization from their lofty position. They were back in Tortall, but this wasn't Port Legann – it was Corus.

As they moved in closer, Numair saw the signs of clean up from a battle that had ended at least two days prior. Soldiers seemed to be everywhere on patrols and helping the farmers and merchants. But there were no signs of fighting.

"Why come _here?"_ Numair shouted so both Diamondflame and Wingstar would hear. "Skysong is at Port Legann!"

_--Why are we here?—_asked Wingstar. _–You guided us Diamondflame, and I too thought you would take us to our grandchild. I don't even see an army in this place.—_

_--The god of the duckmoles is here,--_ said Diamondflame. _–I want to know why.—_

_--Broad Foot? In this city?—_Wingstar said, staring.

_--On the other side of the world from his mortal children, involving himself in mortal affairs.—_Diamondflame responded. Numair and Daine exchanged a look across the distance, wondering if now was the time to tell the dragons everything else they knew.

"How do you know all this?" Numair asked loudly.

_--I am a dragon. My power tells me a great many things that you are blind and deaf to.--_

Numair sent a speaking spell to the soldiers below him, asking for a response from any mages among them. He did not want the large number of stormwings to alarm them and he didn't want any unnecessary misunderstandings. Just then he saw a flash of silver in the corner of his eye and Broad Foot Materialized, hanging in the air strangely. He looked bad. His eyes were sunken and he was very thin.

"What's happened to you? You look terrible!" Daine cried when she saw him.

The duckmole made his strange laughing sound. _–I overestimated my ability to contain Malady. It will not break free of me, but … it fights.—_Even his mind voice sounded weak.

_--This is incredible!—_boomed Diamondflame. _–What possible interest have you in the affairs of humans?—_

The duckmole snorted. _–Have you dragons shut yourselves off so completely from the affairs in the mortal and divine realms? Can you not feel the battle that is raging? Read the Chaos currents around you!— _Numair wondered if "reading the currents" was the way that Diamondflame's power told him things that Numair was blind and deaf to.

_--Humans and their wars,--_ snapped Wingstar.

--_If she overturns the mortal and divine realms, how long do you think it will be until she turns on the Dragonlands?—_Broad Foot demanded. _–You have made them separate from the Divine Realms, but you share a common border with them, and Uusoae is nothing but appetite. Even when fed to gorging, she hungers still.—_

Numair saw the signs of a speaking spell. He had finally been answered by none other than Duke Gareth the Elder, the king's uncle. "Numair Salmalin! We thought we might never hear from you again. I heard strange tales. I will come to meet you. Master Raelt is looking forward to your report." The spell ended.

"Would you dragons mind setting down for a moment?" Numair asked. "I would like to learn what the situation is here."

_--And I would like to talk to you, duckmole,--_ Diamondflame said as he glided down toward an expanse of the palace wall. Despite the precautions, Numair could see that the soldiers were training bows on them and catapults were being turned to dump rocks of liquid fire on the dragons if necessary. He opened a speaking spell to Master Raelt and began to speak rapidly, explaining the situation and that these dragons were friends and potential allies.

When the dragons finally settled, Numair saw two figures on horseback approaching. One was Duke Gareth and the other was Buri, the commander of the Queen's Riders.

"They're friends," Numair heard Daine assure the dragons. "It's alright."

_--They may well be friends, but do they know that we are?—_Wingstar asked nervously. She sunk to the ground and Numair saw Daine slide off her back. He climbed off of Diamondflame and joined her while Broad Foot and Diamondflame conversed mind to mind.

Duke Gareth tugged an earlobe the way he usually did when he was uncertain what to say. "I had thought that I was past being shocked by your companions. Clearly I was mistaken," the elderly man said.

Numair tried not to laugh. "You should have seen where we got them." He shook hands with Buri and then with the Duke. "Where's the queen? For that matter, where's the enemy?"

"Gone, except for our prisoners," Buri answered as she dismounted. He watched the K'miri woman give Daine a warm hug. "They scrambled out of here half a day before a relieving force from the Yamani Islands came in – just pulled up stakes and vanished."

"We still maintain our forces on alert, however," Duke Gareth assured. "Just in case the enemy attempts something crafty. The army is camped throughout the Royal Forest, and between here and Port Caynn."

Buri explained that Thayet had taken a force and boarded the Yamani Ships bound for Port Legann. Daine voiced concerns that the fleet she'd seen headed from the Copper Isles might catch them. So, with assurances from the Duke and Buri that they were well situated, Numair and Daine agreed that they would try to catch up to Thayet and help out.

The conference between Broad Foot and the dragons appeared to be over so Daine asked, "Will you take us to the queen? They're at sea, on the way to Port Legann."

_--The badger and Gold-streak are with them,--_ added Broad Foot.

_--We will do more than convey you to her,-- _Wingstar said. ­_–Broad Foot has told us enough that my mate and I have decided to help you, and our grandchild, fight.—_

Duke Gareth shot Numair a triumphant look. Numair smiled and thought about how much help the dragons would likely be. Between their impressive magic and their ability to fly, the dragons might assure a victory. If there were more than the two of them, it might be over in a few days. He thought it couldn't hurt to ask. "Do you think your fellow dragons might be concerned enough about the danger from Uusoae to fight on our side as well?"

Wryly, Diamondflame answered, _--If you are prepared to wait a few decades for them to reach the decision. That is one reason why few of us will argue with a personal choice. Long-lived as we are, we still would die of old age before our peers would agree on anything.—_

"Please, forget I asked," Numair said.

Daine moved closer to him as if making room for someone. Instantly he knew why as Barzha chose that moment to glide down and join them, leaving the alert soldiers to once again grab weapons nervously. Numair held a hand up and signaled "friends" to the group, grateful that he had taken the time to learn the King's Own hand signals. "Why do you gab here like pigeons?" the Stormwing Queen demanded. "Ozorne is not here. Our people are not here." Numair felt Daine's hand slide into his own. Her arm was behind her back where she stood in front and slightly to one side of him. He doubted if either Buri or the Duke could actually see the show of affection, but it was still a bold move in front of friends who did not know their relationship had changed. They tangled their fingers together silently.

_--I needed to speak to the duckmole,--_ Diamondflame said.

"You have spoken, have you not? Then let's find our battle. We didn't come to admire scenery." Numair looked to Daine, taking a moment to admire the scenery she offered. He couldn't see much of her face from this position, but he knew it by heart anyway. He could hardly believe that this beautiful girl still seemed to want him. They were on the ground, back in their own realm, and she was holding his hand. He had no idea if she realized just how much he needed that touch, but he preferred to think that she did. And though it may not be some people's idea of intimacy, to him the clinging contact was a sign of real love. They had to let go to say their goodbyes to the Duke and Buri, but it had been enough for him to know her feelings wouldn't change in front of their friends, though he planned to let her take the lead in how much they revealed to those around them.

Astride separate dragons once more, Numair could not pull his gaze from Daine. He didn't watch the dragons lift off from the ground this time or stare back to look at Corus. He vaguely heard Wingstar say something about not wanting to tire herself by flying all the way and he vaguely heard Diamondflame agree to use a spell on both them and the Stonetree Nation. When Daine did eventually feel his gaze and turn her eyes to him, he saw her visibly inhale deeply and bring a fluttering hand up to the base of her throat as if to say, _Me?_ He supposed what he was feeling must be reflected in his face, but for the moment he didn't care who saw it there. He mouthed, "I love you," to her and she smiled so warmly that he had the foolish urge to find a way to fly to her, though he would have tumbled to his death if he had acted on it. She mouthed it in return, "I love you too." And he felt the biggest, stupidest grin spread across his face. He might look ridiculous, he didn't know, but she loved him too and that was all that mattered.

Diamondflame had decided it was best to cloak the group as the Copper Isle's fleet was out on the water somewhere and the Yamani Fleet might shoot first and ask questions later. Numair agreed that it was a wise decision.

Soon enough they saw the Yamani Fleet on the horizon. He knew Harailt was among them and he immediately sent a speaking spell to him to warn of what he was about to see. When the spell was returned in his general direction, he let Diamonflame know. The dragons dropped the cloaking spell and descended toward the ships.

The faces on the bridges were almost comical. Mouths hung open and trained fighters dropped weapons to their sides as they stared. Numair tried to imagine being one of them and watching two huge dragons with human riders and 63 stormwings fly toward them out of what had previously been a clear blue sky. He supposed his mouth would hang open too.

_--I'm going to set you down to talk to your people—_Diamondflame warned. _–The badger is coming up here to conference with us for a moment.—_Spiraling magic gathered Numair and lifted him down to the bridge of the ship below. He was amazed by the gentleness of it. He looked back to see that Daine remained astride Wingstar. He waved to her and turned to be practically mobbed by questions and hugged tightly by the queen. Behind her stood a Yamani in admiral's uniform. Numair nodded to him politely over Thayet's shoulder.

"Have you ever hugged me before?" Numair asked when she let go.

"Have I ever thought you died before?" she asked in return.

"Yes," he said immediately. She laughed.

"Right. I forgot. And I didn't hug you then?"

"I'm not really sure – there were a lot of hugs that day."

Now she really laughed. "Numair, we thought the two of you were gone. And then, when we finally knew where you were, you sent the best help any fighters could ever ask for."

"Well, we've brought more. Diamondflame," he pointed to the blue dragon, "and Wingstar", he pointed to the gray and gold dragon, "are here to help. And the members of the Stonetree Nation are sworn allies too. They want to send Ozorne to his death personally. There is every chance you will cross a fleet from the Copper Isles at any moment, but the dragons will make sure you aren't seen."

She laughed triumphantly. "This gets better and better." The queen turned and saw the Yamani admiral, who had remained standing at attention behind her. "Oh, how rude of me. This is Admiral Hiyagashu and this fine ship is his vessel."

The two shook hands and then Numair turned serious. "Thayet, is there somewhere we can talk? You don't know the rest." Hiyagashu led Thayet, Harailt, and Numair into the stateroom. Solemnly Numair filled them in on Uusoae's role in the battle and the eight pawns.

They made the sign against evil several times while he spoke and again when he was finished. "What kind of a monster does it take to willingly risk the entire realm in a plot like this one?" Thayet asked finally.

"My instinct says Ozorne, but he will not be the pawn I have to fight," Numair answered.

"Hedensra," Harailt supplied automatically. "I'm glad you're here. I'm not ashamed to say I was afraid." Numair patted his shoulder sympathetically.

Admiral Hiyagashu spoke at last, "Can you take on the red mage alone?"

Thayet and Harailt merely laughed, but Numair did not join in. "I am your best chance but – even I'm afraid." Thayet's eyes opened wide and Harailt looked a little shocked. "We're still at sea and I can already feel his presence. Were it not for the cloaking of the dragons, he would know I'm here. He could have been a black robe but he wanted to dabble in magics that civilized sorcerers abhor. He has mastered spells that can unmake men and turn the blood to poison." Admiral Hiyagashu paled visibly and Harailt made the sign against evil.

"But you have some amazing spells in your repertoire too," Harailt said. "I've used elemental magic, but you bore three times what I did."

"I've used dragon magic now too, but I won't have either at my disposal this time. My biggest concern is not even myself, but the number of innocents he will draw into the fight if he can. I have a way around that possibly, but it will mean employing some abilities that I rarely use."

"Mind control?" Thayet asked, though it was more a statement.

"Yes," he answered as he tugged his long nose. "I have to make Hedensra think it is in his best interest to take this fight as far away from the rest of the battle as possible."

"That seems a good enough reason to me," Thayet said, wrapping an arm around Numair and squeezing. "When was the last time you had anything to eat?"

"Yesterday, I think," he answered. "To tell the truth I really need a chance to grab some sleep too. I'm sure Daine will agree. We both slept a little in the night, but we were being conveyed across the Sea of Sand by stormwings at the time."

"Goddess, the stories you must have!" Thayet exclaimed. They turned to a light knock on the stateroom door. Numair lifted his warding so that Daine could walk in. Thayet rushed her, hugging the girl and kissing both cheeks. Then she proceeded to introduce Daine to Hiyagashu.

"Wingstar said she was tired of listening to my stomach growl," Daine said. "We have orders to eat and rest a little. Diamondflame and Wingstar flew off to spy. They will be back at dusk." She sidled closer to Numair and stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear. "And I missed you."

He smiled at her and covered for her, "I think Thayet probably figured out the dragons could be bossy." Harailt, Hiyagashu, and Thayet laughed heartily, while Numair and Daine exchanged a secret smile. "Me too," he mouthed to only her.

-

-

Okay. Review please


	28. Chapter 28 Planning and Parting

**Disclaimer: It's Tamora Pierce's**

_A/N: Again I apologize to my anonymous reviewers because I was forced to block that function. I hope it will not be permanent._

_Sunfish Sailor: Thanks. The fight with Hadensra is coming soon._

_Crazed Fuzzle: Yes, I was referring to one of my own stories. I treated them as if they were all part of the same thing. He died in Mitigating Circumstances and was brought back by the Goddess. Thanks so much for the compliments._

_Hoshi-Ko88: Thanks_

_Purple Eyed Cat: Thanks_

_JaDe-ViPeR08: Wow thanks. Sorry I write like a maniac and it took you so long to catch up. I'm obsessed._

_Silverlake: Thanks. The mage battle is soon._

_Lady Tonks of Wolf's Rock: Thanks_

_Nativewildmage: Thanks._

_**Chapter 28 – Planning and Parting**_

Numair and Daine practically inhaled the food that they were given in the galley while Thayet sat with them. It seemed very bland after the food that they had consumed in the divine realms. And both were so hungry they had hardly realized it.

"Daine, I just notice what you're wearing," Thayet said, obviously urging them to tell some of the story. "Are those Numair's clothes cut down?"

"Yes," said the girl when she finished chewing her bite. "I fell off a cliff and lost of my things. Numair could have shrunk some things but he drained himself to save me and he needed to conserve magic in case we ran into trouble before we reached the Sea of Sand. We also weren't entirely sure if the Stormwings would be there to get us across the Sea of Sand." Thayet had blanched at "cliff" and stared, mouth open, as Daine finished.

"She lost her blanket and cloak too. We were close enough to the Sea of Sand to make due for camping, but she will need a new bedroll and clothing for any camping here," Numair said. "Oh and she lost her bow too." Turning to Daine he said, "I'm sure Weiryn will give you another one." Daine smiled at him.

"Weiryn really is your father then?" When Daine and Numair looked surprised she said, "When the Badger explained things, he included that, although I admit I wasn't sure until now." Thayet watched them eagerly again. "You are probably too tired to talk, aren't you? Daine, I can offer you my own cabin to rest in. I'm not sure what is available for you Numair."

"Honestly, Thayet, I'm so tired that all I need is a piece of floor somewhere out of the general traffic of the ship. It's only two short hours until dusk anyway. As much as I'd like a bath and fresh clothes, sleep is much more of a priority."

When they finished eating, Daine tucked into Thayet's cabin and Numair headed to Harailt's cabin. Their friends refrained from their questions so the two could rest. Numair and Daine promised to give them the full story when there was time. Numair had just removed his shoes when he heard a light knock at his door. He opened it and at first couldn't see who could have knocked. Then he realized there was a mouse on the floor waiting for entry. He let Daine, the mouse in, shut the door and draped his cloak over the small furry body so she could shape-shift. He turned his back.

"I wanted a private minute with you," Daine said behind him. He turned to see her wrapped in his cloak and he went to her, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her eagerly. When they finally broke apart, both were gasping. "I know we should be sleeping, but I just needed …"

"I'm glad you came," he assured, sitting on the bed. "But if you want this kept secret, this probably isn't the way. Do you?"

"I don't know," she said as she sat beside him. "I'm not quite ready for all the questions that come with letting them know."

He smiled. "When we discuss our future, after the war, then you will know what to say. I understand." They kissed again until he was sure the heat of it would melt the furniture and, pulling away, he realized the cloak had slipped off both of her shoulders and she was now barely covered. And though he knew he should, Numair could not look away. He found his eyes fixing on her badger claw and was struck by the realization that something that had been there in January was there no longer. He wanted to ask, but didn't think it appropriate that he even knew she had worn a charm against pregnancy then.

Daine saw his gaze though. "Ma said it didn't make it through the crossing, I need to get another one."

Numair blushed deeply and tried to keep his mind from wandering there. Suddenly he felt awkward again.

"I never knew you had noticed it," she said softly. "When?"

"Do you remember the snowball fight in January?" he asked in return, looking at his feet.

"Oh – is that why you seemed to change so suddenly?" She put a hand under his chin as if directing him to look at her.

"Yes. I – I almost kissed you then. But I thought you and Perin…"

She began to laugh. "You must have felt strange when I told you I wouldn't invite him in a month later."

"A little," he admitted.

"The charm was a gift from Alanna. You noticed it a day after I got it. She said she had one for a couple years before she ever used it and that a girl should have one 'in case'. It was spelled to stay with the badger claw, but…"

"I'm sorry," he said, still feeling awkward. "I didn't mean to notice it or notice it's absence. Please, I –" He was back to looking at his feet.

"Are you afraid to talk about canoodling?"

He was deep crimson now. "Spoken like a true mid-wife's daughter. I tried to tell you before that sex is not what I want. Well, truthfully, when you kiss me like that… But do you understand that I want something permanent? And I want to be proper around you."

He could see that Daine was blushing lightly. But she looked him straight in the eye as if determined to have this discussion. "I want to be part of your life always," she said finally. "I can't imagine loving anyone else the way I love you. Nobody else even tries to understand me like you do. I doubt if I could trust anyone else the way I trust you. And you are right – I'm a mid-wife's daughter. It seems fair clear to me that the girls who didn't talk about canoodling 'til it was too late are the ones my ma saw the most. We will sort out our future after the war and I'll try not to tempt you too much before then. You do the same thing to me, you know? I never wanted to canoodle with Perin, but part of that was because I was in love with you even then. He couldn't compare at all. And I didn't think you would see me this way. Now I think about it a lot, especially when you kiss me."

He smiled at her. "I can show restraint, Magelet. I'm well practiced by now." He kissed her again briefly and then they leaned their foreheads together. "I'm glad you came to see me. I hate being apart from you. That said, I think it best if I let you go back to your room to rest."

She stood and he followed. "And Magelet, I, too, want to be part of your life forever. I love you and I always will." She stood on tiptoe to kiss him and he bent to meet her. He felt her hands go around his neck and into his hair again. And once more he got lost in the incredible sensations and when finally they broke apart he realized the cloak was on his feet. He kept his eyes closed until she was a mouse again. He let her out the door and she crept down the hallway through the cracked door of her own room.

Numair struggled to go to sleep, but eventually drifted off. All too soon, Harailt was shaking him awake. Up on the deck, Numair could see Daine, Thayet and Admiral Hiyagashu already talking to the dragons that were hovering off the starboard bow. He joined them.

--_..heading straight for Legann. We think you should land north of the enemy camp. We can hide you there and help you sneak up on the army,— s_aid Diamondflame.

"They have mages that can sense stealth spells though," Harailt said.

_--They cannot sense dragon stealth spells—_Wingstar said haughtily.

"I have heard stories of dragons walking through cities without being seen or heard. The tales are old, but perhaps there was much truth in them," Thayet said.

_--Precisely,--_ Diamondflame said.

"A coordinated attack from both sides could bring the pawns into the open," Numair offered. "Can we get word to Jon and a few spelled mirrors to coordinate?"

--_I will take a messenger to the king safely,--_ Diamondflame volunteered.

"That's where Kit is. I prob'ly should be the messenger," Daine said.

"Don't forget the enemy was planning to take Legann from at least two sides – the enemy on this side and the Copper Isle's fleet," Thayet reminded.

--_ There is a camp of immortals on the eastern edge as well.—_Diamondflame informed them.--_The fleet will be short work for us, but we do not want them to get word to their companions too soon. It is best to surprise them all.--_

"I like the way you think, Diamondflame," Thayet said. "Can we put this together in two days?"

"I don't see why not," Numair said. "In that time the enemy positions could be mapped and word could be taken to Jon. He could prepare their forces from there."

--_Another Naval fleet in red is south of Legann,-- _Wingstar offered.

"The royal Navy of Carthak. Those are the ships that Kaddar promised us," Harailt said.

"So it's three to three," Daine said.

--_But you have two dragons. We can equal one force on our own.—_

Daine shot Numair a look that showed she thought the dragons were a little egotistical. He grinned at her.

_--And you have me,--_ it was the badger. _--I will help take out the Copper Isles force.-- _Numair wondered how long the Badger had been hanging around unseen before revealing himself.

Diamondflame added, --_There is a very strong mage with a red-ruby for an eye among this camp. He is the only mage that we were concerned might detect us.—_

"Inar Hadensra." Numair said. "Leave him to me." He saw the look on Daine's face. "He's strong, but he thinks he can't fail. That is to my advantage, Magelet, don't worry."

_--Any human that can figure out how to use dragon magic is more than a match for an evil, self-absorbed mage,-- _ Wingstar said, trying to sooth Daine.

"I have some things to tell you," Numair told Daine when her mouth dropped open. He turned back to the others, "Daine's cartography kit should still be in Legann." He turned again to Daine, "You could map the enemy from Diamondflame's back, giving us the means to plan this properly."

"That would be amazingly helpful," Harailt said. "I have some mirrors to spell for communications. And Numair, I can also replenish the mage kit you lossed."

"Thanks, Ral," Numair said.

"Are we to land a day's march north of the enemy then?" asked Hiyagashu. Numair had nearly forgotten the man was there. He was so quiet and his face was so void of emotion.

"That sounds best," Thayet agreed. The admiral went to inform the other ships. "I should go organize supplies to go to shore," Thayet said. "We will meet once more to organize things when the first supplies cross. It would be good to have the stormwings and our immortal friend on the shore at that meeting."

"Will the centaurs and ogres know to meet us?" Daine asked.

Thayet smiled. "The darkings will let them know. They have been amazing allies."

The group began to split up. "Ral, I'll be along in a moment to help with the mirrors and mage pack. I owe Daine an explanation I didn't get time to share," Numair said.

He and Daine walked side by side around the deck as he explained what happened while she was knocked out. When he was finished she said, "We won't be together when the fighting starts." She looked like she might cry and he felt the same urge.

"It's necessary and only temporary. This battle may very well end the war. And you know that once it is over they will have to pry me from your side to separate us again." She wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged him tightly.

"I will miss you so much," she said.

"And I will miss you. I also won't get to see Kitten until it's all over. You will tell her I was thinking of her, won't you?"

"Of course," she said.

"We both have tasks to ready before we head to shore. We're going to work through the night and Diamondflame is taking you to Legann just before sunrise, right?" She nodded. "I promise I'll come to say goodbye before you leave. But if I don't get to my tasks now, I might change my mind and that could destroy our world."

She sighed heavily, resolved. "You're right. To work –" she smiled, parting from him and heading to the hold.

Numair went to Harailt's cabin and together they spelled mirrors. He also created a new mage's kit while Harailt admired the staff Weiryn had given him. "I think I'm jealous," he said.

"Don't be. Weiryn was never certain if he liked me. He spent a good part of the time we were there glowering at me."

"Why?" Harailt asked.

"It's so complicated. Suffice it to say he didn't like the years I have spent with his daughter." He wanted to say more. He wanted to prepare Harailt for the possibility that he might marry Daine. But he didn't know how she would feel about that. "Worse, the gods can read minds, no matter what you do. So if I thought he was behaving like an ass he knew it." Harailt laughed. "I ended up telling him what a poor father I thought he had been and a few other choice things that nearly got me struck by lightening. But Sarra and the other gods in the house all liked me, luckily. He gave me the staff as we left to protect Daine."

"I am jealous anyway. The whole experience sounds amazing and I want the whole story the second this war is over."

"The second? That might be a tall order. Can we agree to as soon as possible?"

The next conference was held while the long boats were busy carrying weapons, supplies, and fighters from the Yamani Fleet to the shore. They were cloaked by darkness and dragon magic. Numair, Thayet, Harailt, Diamondflame, Wingstar, Admiral Hiyagashu, commanders of the Kings Own regiment that was with them, the commander of the 6th rider group, the Badger, Goldstreak and Jelly were all in attendance as well as Queen Barzha, Hebakh & the centaur herd leader and the ogre tribe leader, both of who had been carried over by dragon power. Plans were made up and finalized. Battle maps were drawn and copied. It seemed to last forever to Numair. He was starting to ache for Daine and he had no idea how he would make it through the next two days.

Thayet smiled to him as they wound up the battle plans. "Harailt and the other mages want to go over a few more things with you. I need to give the maps and the dominion jewel to Daine."

"Tell her I'll be along in a moment."

The mages that were heading separate directions wanted to make sure they wouldn't interfere with the dragon power. Numair merely laughed. "I could ask them over to assure you if you really want a lesson in Dragon egotism. Suffice it to say that there is little anyone could do to stop Diamondflame if his mind was set to do something. He has more power than even the typical dragons. Stick to the plan and everything will go smoothly."

"And the enemy?" asked Master Colem, a young war mage who had yet to really see a battle.

"The only mage on the other side who could possibly cause any disturbance to them is Hadensra. I will keep him occupied," Numair answered.

Queen Barzha, who had dropped in just in time to hear them sassed, "You think something of your own abilities, don't you, Mage?"

He grinned at her. "You're the one who said I'd make a good stormwing and I have yet to meet one who wasn't arrogant. I'm just living up to your compliment."

She grinned at him showing steel teeth and seemed to look him up and down. "You might not make a bad consort either. Are you large everywhere, longshanks?" She took off cackling while Numair felt his cheeks flush.

Some of the mages chuckled, a few looked down right unnerved.

"Do they – uhh…." Master Colem asked.

Numair chuckled. "Some questions are better left unasked. She just wanted the last word."

Harailt shook his head as he laughed. "You have strange friends, Numair."

Numair cocked an eyebrow. "Speaking as one?" There was a roar of laughter. He pointed to where Barzha and Hebakh appeared to be almost dancing in mid air. "Strange as it sounds, they grow on you. Rikash can still make me feel dirty with a leer, but I do count him as a friend. If he kills Ozorne, I might invite him over for tea once a week."

_--I'd like a word with you,-- _the Badger said, appearing in mid-air before him.

The two went to the stateroom. "Yes?" Numair asked.

_--There is a possibility that Uusoae's pawn has more chaos tricks. We are certain the skinners were hers. I have now heard from Gainel that one of her creatures may have delivered a box to her pawn.—_

"Have you any idea at all what it might contain?"

­_--This is Uusoae we're talking about, it could be anything.—_

"I'll pass the word. We'll have the mages search for it. I think there is a spell that can help. Thank you, Badger. And please, give our thanks to Gainel if you talk to him before I do."

He headed toward Daine, talking all the way to Jelly who was again hiding in his shirt. Daine was talking to Rikash.

"Gods help us, it's the stork-man, come to make sure I'm not corrupting you. Has your grand conference ended, Longshanks?" Rikash asked.

Numair ignored the jibes and nicknames. "It has. There go Barzha and Hebakh now." He pointed to the two Stormwings that were flying toward the shore.

"And I must follow, like a good servant," Rikash commented. "I'll see you both when the dust settles in two days." He took off, soaring over the water and narrowly missing a collision with the back of Wingstar's neck.

Numair put an arm around Daine's shoulders. "It's time, he said quietly." They were mostly alone now. Thayet had crawled into the second to last longboat to head for shore, along with Harailt. Only the crew that would remain was still on board. Numair would ride over with the last load of supplies and Master Collem, who was in his cabin, doing some hasty packing.

"Come with me," she whispered, turning to grab a fistful of his shirt. Jelly squeaked at her. "Well if you wouldn't hide in his clothes all the time," she snapped. Numair could tell she was afraid.

"Magelet, I can't." He didn't know what the next two days would bring and it was far too difficult to dwell on it. He caressed her face, staring into her eyes. "No one else can take on Inar Hadensra, not without risking lives needlessly. He could have been a black robe mage like me, but – he thought the university was too confining. He's in the main camp for certain – I can sense him even at this distance. I _must_ be there when Thayet attacks." He wouldn't tell her some of Hadensra's capabilities. She would beg him not to do it and if she begged too much, he might fold.

"You get into so much trouble without me to look after you," she whispered.

He kissed her forehead. "You belong in Legann. Make sure that Jonathan understands what Gainel told us. It's not the kind of thing we can trust to a letter or speech spell. He's _got_ to see that it's vital to capture or kill Uusoae's pawn, Valmar of the Copper Isles. Diamondflame says he'll get Deniau of the Copper Isles when his fleet reaches Legann." He sighed and stared out over the water wondering if this was the right decision. _This is not the time to question yourself._ "And we'll just have to hope she is drawing on those two or Inar Hadensra, or Ozorne, not one of the other immortals that were in our dream, because we have no way to identify them."

Daine threw her arms around his neck and they kissed passionately, clinging desperately to one another and ignoring Jelly's renewed squeaks of protest.

When finally they broke the kiss, Numair let her slide to the deck. "I love you," he whispered. "If you get yourself killed, I will _never _forgive you."

She was sobbing and tried to laugh at the same time, resulting in a sort of breathless choke. Numair offered his handkerchief. "You'll need it," she said and wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

"Something else," he said pulling Jelly from his shirt. "We talked about this," he told Jelly firmly. "You'll be much better off with Daine and Leaf."

Jelly stretched its neck long until it could rub its head against his cheek. It returned to a glob of dark and Numair tucked it in Daine's pack where Leaf was.

­_--If the touching farewells are done with?—_Diamondflame hovered beside the ship. Numair had not heard him and judging by Daine's leap of surprise, neither did she. _–We too must be on our way.—_

Numair and Daine kissed once more briefly before Daine climbed on the rail and then onto Diamondflame's back. When she was seated, Numair watched her blow him a kiss.

The dragon rose in the air, carrying away the woman he loved. He sent her a last message, a speaking spell, "Goddess bless, my darling," complete with a spelled kiss for her cheek. He felt hollow and desperately afraid that this goodbye might be the last they ever saw of one another. All that was left was to get himself to shore.


	29. Chapter 29 Battle

**Disclaimer: If you don't know it by now, you probably can't process it anyway.**

**I had re-enabled my anonymous reviews today, only to be harassed again by Narm's Briton. There's little point in keeping it a secret since she's made it so public. I'm so sorry to all the reviewers who were using that function.  
**

_A/N: Here is the long awaited battle. I hope you like it._

_JaDeViPeR08: Thanks. This one is fluffy too, but also action packed._

_Sunfish Sailor: That is a very kind compliment. I'm glad you saw it that way._

_Lady Tonks of Wolf's Rock: Everyone will know before I close_

_Sarramaks: Thanks so much as always. I like the reality of her being no-nonsense. For that reason, she leads him to a lot of things that one would normally think he would lead for as you will see coming up._

_Silverlake: Thanks!_

_**Chapter 29 – Battle**_

In hawk form, Numair soared through the air toward the enemy camp. His flying was a bit rusty. It had been far too long since he practiced at all. Wars could derail nearly anything. He had a spelled, invisible package of clothes clasped in his talons and one clear plan in mind. He needed to find a sentry and the younger, the better. Luck was with him that July morning. He saw what looked to be a 16 or 17 year old Copper Islander on duty at the edge of the forest. The boy had no visible fire of gift and had probably drawn duty there because the forest was too dense to actually expect an enemy to approach from that direction. Numair landed and dressed quietly, then slipped through the trees.

Startled the boy looked up and was immediately and intentionally captured by Numair's eyes. "What's your name?" Numair asked him.

"Yoseph," the boy answered. He was completely under the spell which was good. Numair had not done this level of mind control since he first discovered he could.

"Yoseph, I'm going to tell you a funny story which all of the mages in your camp will enjoy."

"The mages will enjoy," Yoseph repeated in monotone.

"It's a story about the 'so-called great mage Salmalin'."

"Salmalin," he repeated.

"He fought another black-robe mage near mid-winter called Cearl de Romando, but he cheated."

"He cheated," the boy said hollowly, but smiling.

"While Salmalin distracted de Romando, one of his friends put a spear through de Romando's back."

"Spear through the back?" he asked in monotone.

"That's right. Salmalin could not have won the fight for all the power that he boasts."

"Could not have won," the boy reapeted.

"It's too bad de Romando didn't know to take the fight where Salmalin's friends couldn't find him."

"It's too bad," the boy agreed.

"You don't remember where you heard it, but it's a good story. You'll want to tell every mage in your camp, won't you?"

"I want to tell every mage," the boy agreed.

Numair left him standing there where he would remain for another four minutes. By then Numair would be airborne again and Yoseph would not remember seeing anyone.

When he returned to camp, Thayet invited him to eat with herself and Harailt. Other than the nap on the boat, Numair hadn't slept yet and he was getting very exhausted.

"How did it go?" she asked. He looked up at her thinking about what a good commander she was and how lucky Jon was to have her. He blinked and realized he had just mind-catured her unintentionally as she sat frozen.

"Thayet, I'm so sorry. I'm _that_ tired," he said.

She swallowed hard and he realized that both she and Harailt looked unnerved. "I never realized it was that easy for you," she said after a long silence. "In the years we've known each other, why hasn't that happened before?"

"I don't think you've ever seen me quite this sleep deprived and I work at not doing it," he answered, humiliated. "It's much easier to do to someone with little or no magic. It would be much harder to capture Ral and I've never had to worry around Daine. I think she's immune to me altogether. Again I am so sorry. That's another good reason not to use that ability. It's too easy to forget to stop." He began to eat rapidly, keeping his eyes cast down in both shame and precaution.

"It's all right," Thayet said, patting his arm. "You didn't mean to."

"Yeah, you didn't mean to," Harailt agreed.

"One's friends should never be given cause to look at him the way you both just looked at me," he answered.

"We've never discussed this ability in depth," Harailt said. "When did you discover you did not need a shiny implement?"

"Years ago. I think I was twelve and home for summer break. I did it to my own father. After that he – uh – discouraged my visits. If I did return home, the breaks were shorter and shorter before they needed to get me back. Consequently, I hardly know my youngest siblings. I doubt if I'd recognize them if we ran into each other some where." He looked up and saw what he knew he would – a look of sympathy on both faces.

"Does it happen by accident often?" Thayet asked.

"Not often, no. It is most common when I'm very tired. Unfortunately, that means I have accidentally mind captured a few women in my own bed chamber, but otherwise very rarely."

Harailt chuckled but Thayet looked contemplative. "Is it part of why you've never married?" she asked eventually.

He looked at her and smiled. "I suppose it is in a round about way. I don't want a bride who is afraid of me. But I also want someone to love and to really be a partner. My father domineered over my mother. He had no respect for her and she was miserable for it. Marriage should include mutual respect and love. I'm sure you've listened to a hundred of those conservatives tell you otherwise," he smiled at Thayet. "I think what you and Jon have is great. When I accidentally captured you I was thinking what a great commander you are and how lucky Jon is that you are so strong."

Thayet beamed at him. Harailt tilted his head. "I wonder if all of the highly educated men have the same basic philosophy," Harailt said. "We've never discussed this and yet, it is why I'm not married. I haven't found my match. Lindhall only recently found his. You have not found yours, et cetera."

"No, Ral, I have. If it were only as simple as finding her, I wouldn't have spent the last 10 months beating myself up psychologically." Thayet gave him a knowing smile. Harailt looked surprised. "Every man needs his secrets," Numair said cryptically and then he stood up. "And this man also desperately needs some sleep. I'll catch up to you in a few hours."

When the day of battle finally arrived, the Queen and her forces waited at the edge of the forest, preparing to ford the river and attack the enemy. They knew exactly where the enemy was thanks to maps drawn by Daine. Wingstar had delivered them a day prior and the army had been given plenty of time to study them well.

Numair was no longer cloaked by either dragon magic or his own powerful gift. He had rested well and prepared as much as he could for the coming fight. He had to draw Hadensra away from the rest of the battle. And though the enemy would suspect something when Hadensra sensed Numair, they would have no idea what awaited them on the other side – which was the point.

Numair had already crossed the river and he walked inland an hour earlier. He could feel Hadensra beckoning to him. A challenge had been issued. He need only to accept it. He thought he'd do it with a flourish. He sent a speaking spell to Hadensra and one of his fantom kisses to plant itself firmly on the mage's forehead. If Hadensra were angry enough, he might forget to the conventions of warning his companions.

Upriver he went, following the magical summons of the enemy. He could see an image of Inar Hedensra when he approached a small clearing by a beaver damn. He was a tall man, though not as tall as Numair. His shaggy blond hair nearly matched the animal fur he wore over his stained tunic and leggings. It was far too hot for such a costume. The ruby glittered in one eye socket and the other eye held a look of mirth. Numair's likeness brushed the simulacrum Hadensra aside and it melted to nothing.

"You're going to have to work harder than that to fool me, Hadensra." His own simulacrum said. Numair himself was right behind it, invisible and shielded. He watched with amusement as Hedensra fell for his own ploy and blasted the simulacrum with mage fire, laughing hysterically as he realized what Numair had done.

"Apparently, Salmalin, we think along the same lines." Numair could pick out his whereabouts now. "We have something else in common, Salmalin, we both have a thing for a certain curly haired brunette. Though I admit she need only be slightly warm for me to enjoy her company – I don't really care if she's breathing."

It was a disgusting thing to say and designed to make Numair reveal his position. He would not until he was ready.

"Of course, maybe Ozorne won't leave me any. He's hunting for her this morning. He's got a few tauros friends that desperately want to meet her. I doubt there will be much left to enjoy."

Numair was nearly in position and fighting the urge to turn and fly after Daine. _It's what he wants me to do. Daine is strong and very capable. She will be fine._ The sun was rising and the battle trumpets would sound soon.

"Aperio," Hadensra shouted. It was a basic revealing spell and Numair had expected it. "Too smart for that one, I see," Hadensra said. A blinding light suddenly poured through the ruby in his eye. Numair could feel the heat emanating from it.

"Refero colus," Numair whispered. The air shimmered and the light from the ruby turned back against Hadensra, scorching his animal hide and filling the air with a stench that would overpower a stormwing.

Hedensra laughed. "Nice, Salmalin! That's the closest you'll get." Red fire gathered at his hands and poured, amplified by the ruby – mage fire. Hadensra knew his position now. Numair countered also with mage fire – his amplified by the jeweled staff. The two magics collided, forcing both to bend at a 90 degree angle. Red and Black fire twisted together in a column, extending hundreds of feet in the air. Now everyone would know the fight was on.

"Antegenero ovt fin," Numair shouted. The mage fire stopped from both.

"I'm impressed, Salmalin. You've left your university days far behind haven't you? But I know a few things about uncreating." Red fire gathered around the man and shimmered hotly.

_Forgive me, Jonathan. _Heat generated in a coil of black fire. Spinning it to spiral like dragon magic, Numair sent it twisting into the earth. It erupted in a tall and hot column of molten sand and silica. And when Hendensra shouted, "Antegenero compleo saqit!" the liquid fire poured at him, trapping the spell that would have unmade Numair. Hedensra shouted in pain, but some kind of explosion burst and froze the liquid fire sending a yard-long bank of earth colored glass into the river.

"I hate to have to kill you, Hadensra. You are brilliant. Your talents could be used for so much better than this. Perhaps we could settle this in a less barbaric way."

Hadensra merely roared in fury. His baiting seemed to be over. "Flatas cosopora!" The ground cried and trembled violently as stones buried deep in the strata launched themselves from the earth and flew at Numair. Numair shielded himself, sending the projectiles into the river where they accumulated as if someone had begun building a damn.

Numair gathered his Gift into the gem on his staff and fired at Hadensra, shoving the mage backward and ending the onslaught of subterraneous boulders.

Both men staggered backward, the fight beginning to wear on them. "Perhaps I should hear you out," Hadensra said. Numair was suspicious, but could hardly decline the opportunity to show mercy – though if Hadensra were Uusoae's pawn, he would have to at least trap the man.

"Jonathan of Conte' has been very kind to me. He allows me freedom to study and taught me a lot of everyday spells that the university never bothered with. And I get to know what exactly it is I'm fighting for. I would never be fighting for the destruction of the world, for example." It was designed to feel him out. But Hadensra had apparently only been taking a break.

A white hot, jelly like substance poured over him. Numair had seen this spell before when he fought Tristan Staghorn. It was a flammable acid they learned in their early years at Carthak. It didn't burn his flesh as it was intended to because of his shield. He merely melted it as he had done before and watched the look of astonishment on Hadensra's face with amusement.

Numair fired a spell at Hadensra to encapsulate him in a sparkling whirlwind. He hoped it would slow the other mage down for a while so he could take a moment to think. Murder was against his nature, but Hadensra didn't seem willing to stop. He could possibly capture him by some means, but he had to assume Hedensra might be the pawn. He had dropped the clue about destroying the world without Hadensra even questioning him.

The whirlwind slowed the other mage for only 10 minutes before he was able to stomp it down and resumed his attacks.

"Perussi Minuo!" shouted Hadensra.

It was excruciating. Numair felt his entire body was burning from the inside. He had known it might come but he thought, somehow his shield would protect him. Through the fog of his brain he reached for the knowledge to stop this blood-fire spell. "Cesso ovt Renovo!" he cried, hoarsely when at last his brain wrapped around the knowledge he needed. It had probably only been a few seconds, but the pain was so intense it felt like much longer.

"What does it take to kill you?" Hadensra roared.

"More than you have at your disposal, I hope," he answered. Numair ripped the earth open beneath Hedensra's feet and watched as the Scanran Mage dropped comically in the hole. He didn't wait to see whether he'd crawl out or not, he just closed the crevasse.

He dropped to a sitting position. It wasn't over. But it would take the other man at least a full minute to figure out how to get himself out and he needed a rest. It was a foolish decision possibly. The power usage was immense. If he could get that damned ruby, Hadensra would weaken greatly.

He crawled to the spot in the ground where Hadensra had fallen in, drawing a rune on the surface. "A surprise for you," he muttered and pulled himself painfully to his feet. He knelt by the river's edge and greedily drank water. He then slapped water on his face and hair. He had to wait now.

The ground began to groan and shake, Numair stepped behind a large boulder and renewed his shield. Like a geyser bursting, the dirt flew through the air in all directions and the shape of Hadensra emerged right through the rune. The ruby soared through the air and Numair caught it deftly and tucked it into his mage pack.

Hadensra was livid with rage. He spewed a shaman language Numair did not know at a rapid pace and snakes appeared all around him coiled to strike. Numair lifted and shoved them at Hadensra, making the air shimmer with the power.

"Give it back!" Hadensra roared, sending a bolt of red lightning that lit the landscape on fire. Numair doused it, moving water from the river with his mind.

They had been at it for hours and were starting to use weaker spells on one another.

A swarm of bees surrounded Numair, dancing over his body threateningly. He was going to push them away with a shield spell, but they seemed to just change their mind. Both mages were startled and then realized that animals seemed to be flying and running south at a mad pace.

"Your girl's in trouble, Salmalin. I'm sure those tauros friends of Ozorne's will be gentle," It was a mocking statement that chilled Numair to the core. He felt rage bubble inside himself and a powerful buzzing in his ears.

Before he had discovered that he was in love with Daine, he had spent three months of fighting unbelievable rages that made things explode. It had subsided once he quit fighting his own emotions and was able to follow the years of training completely. Now he recognized all the signs and for the first time in his life he wanted it. He let himself imagine the worst until his skin tingled with irate power. He lifted the staff Weiryn had given him and hurled it like a javelin at Hedensra. Borne on his power, it hit its mark – Hedensra's chest. Death wasn't instant. The man writhed in agony, crying something in Scanran that sounded like a prayer, "Venlig at gaeld Mors sjael. Vaere til hjaelp.", though Numair's mind was too exhausted to translate it immediately. He did not know if Hadensra could heal himself at all and didn't dare chance it now. Numair let the rage go, dropping to a fetal position to protect himself. Stones around him expoded angrily and the jeweled head of the staff now buried in Hadensra's chest answered his power.

Numair knew it was done when blood and tissue splattered with the exploding stones and shower of gravel that followed. But there was no feeling of immense relief. He lifted himself enough to vomit and cry his wrath to the gods that he had been forced into becoming such a monster. Then he collapsed into a shivering heap of a man.

In a while, Numair lifted himself to crawl away from the grizzly mess. Again washing himself by the river's edge, he heard a terrible howling from the woods to the south. _The animals – Oh Goddess no, Daine!_ He sobbed uncontrollably. He didn't know what had happened. He only knew that her pain must have been great for the animals to respond like that. He could only hope she survived and it seemed foolish at this point to allow such hope to exist.

Numair was drained, terribly weak and awash in self-loathing and grief. He dragged himself down river to the base of a weeping willow, where he lay prone beneath it, thinking how appropriate the name was to this moment in his life. He held the ruby for sometime, staring at it and wondering hollowly how he would go on from here. Staring at the ruby, he finally was able to clear his mind enough to translate Hadensra's final words – "Mother forgive your son. Help me, please." Like so many soldiers, Hadensra spent his last breath crying for his mother.

Eventually Numair tucked the ruby in his shirt pocket. Exhaustion took him over, and he dozed there at the base of the tree to dream strange sights of the Realms of the Gods and Daine standing in a circle of the great gods, asking them to let the stormwings stay in the Mortal Realm. It had to have been a dream as Kitten was there too.

He pulled himself from sleep but stayed where he was, listening to the sounds of the day. The battle must be over. The wood was silent except for the sounds of animals going about their summer tasks. Could it be that simple for the rest of the world to resume living when he felt his soul had been swallowed by the burden of war?

He watched a circle of carrion birds descend on the remains of Hadensra and wondered if they were watching for him to also expire from exhaustion or grief. He wondered idly why it was vultures and not stormwings that had come to consume the gore. Perhaps they were still busy fighting elsewhere.

Numair knew that Hadensra had not been the pawn. Probably Deniau was not either. He was certain that Diamondflame would have dispatched that Copper Islander right away. Numair had vaguely felt the power of the dominion jewel in use and knew that Jon had been fighting south of them. Wouldn't Valmer also be dead by now? Ozorne was left of the four identified potential pawns. Ozorne had always seemed the most likely. If he was still alive, Numair would pull himself together long enough to send him to the black god in pieces and then he didn't know how he would continue. Would Kit want to stay with him or to go on to her family in the Dragonlands where she could visit Daine in the halls of the dead. The thought was enough to rip him up again, as tears poured down his exhausted face.

The silence was broken by the sound of a horse. Too exhausted to move, Numair waited in silence. The sound of horse shoes on the summer-dried earth grew closer and closer and stopped. If the searcher were looking for Numair, maybe he should just reveal himself. _What's the worst that could happen – I could die._ Somehow, it didn't seem the worst thing anymore. _There are worse things than death._

"Whoever you are, if you're here to kill me, you'll need to do it while I remain prone," he said boldly. "Have the decency to be quick about it, so I can get back to my rest."

He heard the sound of a person dismounting. "What I've got in mind isn't near so quick as killing!" a familiar female voice said. It sounded like Daine but… no he had heard the animals cry. This was too cruel. But some force inside of him demanded he rise, demanded he respond in case, like after the spidren attack in the Divine Realms, Daine had somehow escaped death.

"_Daine_?" he weakly lurched to his feet, knocking his head against the willow branches above him.

From somewhere outside of his unfocused vision, he saw the shape of her, running toward him. Daine plowed into him with enough force to drive him back against the trunk of the tree. "That _hurt_," he gasped and then spun his mind around Daine. Here she was almost as happy to see him as he was to see her and everything would be alright soon enough.

Numair put a hand on either side of her face in gratitude to see what he thought he would never see again. He kissed her nose, her cheeks, her forehead, and then her mouth. A powerful passion surfaced above the exhaustion, sending that blissful sense of belonging to warm his entire soul. They broke the kiss long enough to gasp and reach for one another again, this time hands roaming eagerly, as if confirming the other's existence and general well being. They broke the kiss long enough to look at each other and return again, kissing until he felt alive again and somehow healed for her mere presence.

He never said, _Magelet, I thought again that I had lost you,_ but he thought it and felt it to the very core of himself. Daine was like air to him – necessary. And even if she said no, he wanted her in his life forever. So when they broke the kiss the last time he reached for each of her hands with his own. "Will you marry me?" he asked.

She smiled up at him – a beautiful smile that made his stomach flip. "Maybe someday, but only if you're very, very good," she answered.

"What if I'm very, very bad?" he said as seductively as he knew how. He pulled her tightly against him, kissing her passionately until neither of them could do anything but gasp in yearning.

Finally she answered, "Still maybe someday, but your welcome to try to convince me to make it sooner." He smiled at her, wondering what he had to do to convincer her and how wonderful it would be to try to figure it out.

Suddenly she giggled. "Cloud says this is as lovely as watching to colts frisking in the sun, but we're about to have an audience. Kitten's bringing Onua up."

"Then by all means, let us totter down to meet them," he answered with a sigh. "I will resume persuading you in regard to matrimony at another time, when we've rested, and eaten, and had baths."

Daine slung his arm around her shoulders, studying his face with a look of concern. "So that Inar Hadensra was a hard fight?"

Numair dug into his shirt pocket and produced the ruby eye. "The hardest. I believe I'll retire and return to juggling for a living." He wasn't entirely joking. The fight with Hadensra had taken more than power from him. There were wounds to heal that no one could see. He glanced once more at the jewel in his hand and though _Let the healing commence. _He threw the thing in the river. He would not be keeping souvenirs like those who killed without conscience. "I could support us with juggling, if you were to marry me."

"We'll see," she said.

"I take it Uusoae was acting through Ozorne?" he asked, wanting to know if it was really over.

Daine nodded. "I'll tell you all of it later. It will take a bit of telling." She looked up and he followed her gaze to the stormwings that were now coming for the dead.

He tightened his arm around her shoulder but said no more until they saw Onua and Kitten. The little dragon launched herself at him and he scooped her up with strength he couldn't possibly have guessed he had. "There's my little girl," he said, and kissed the dragonet on the forehead. Onua and Daine beamed at him. With Kitten in one arm and Daine in the other, he felt like his family was together again. He didn't know what would come in the days ahead, but he hoped they would always be part of his life.

-

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I did promise a fluffy ending – fluffier than this. Expect at least two more chapters to close the story.


	30. Chapter 30 togetherness

**Disclaimer: This is Tamora Pierce's story with a few twists from me.**

_Ethalas Tuath'an: Thanks so much. I don't know about sequels. I'll be working on my book next. Maybe when I'm done with that._

_Silverlake: Only a little more and then I'm done._

_Sarramaks: That was really nasty wasn't it? You would not believe how many times I had to rewrite that sentence just to get the meaning clear without it being completely disgusting or obvious. You were right about Hadensra btw. I had both spellings in that chapter and went back and corrected._

_Bitterosemary: As always you picked the one line I liked the most and thank you for the kind compliments._

_Sunfish Sailor: There might be two more yet, depends on how much I squeeze into tomorrow's. And thanks for the compliments about the fight. I was so nervous about it for ages. I'm glad it came off well._

_Nativewildmage: I'm not sure what other stories there will be. After this I'm working on my own book. I might stop in and do a few oneshots and I will keep reading other people's stuff. But I think I needed some time away anyway._

_Purple Eyed Cat: Nope, no wedding, but there is plenty of fluff on the way._

_JaDeViPeR08: Thanks. That chapter had both, didn't it? This one is short on action, but since I want this to be able to stand alone, I had to explain what happened to Daine._

_Hugnisses89xx: Ummm—I'm not sure what that meant._

_Celuna Cirus: Thanks_

_Numair's Lover: Actually, the battle of Legann is a lot faster than you think. It took about 5 hours. During it, Daine sees signs of the magic battle while she's fighting along side Jon and more when she's chasing Ozorne. It was a long fight and in my story I said they had been fighting for hours. Obviously I couldn't put in every spell they would have used on each other or it would have just taken up too much space. It was a while until she found him, but he did doze beneath the tree. I figure it was probably a total of 7 hours, some of which he was looking for Hadensra and some of which he was resting or vomiting or thinking pensively. Since it doesn't actually say, that was my best guess. It could have been longer though. We just can't really know for sure._

_**Chapter 30 - Togetherness**_

Numair, Daine, Kitten, Onua, Cloud and Tahoi made their way back to the King and Queen stood with Lord Imrah. Thanks to Kit's "neatening-up-trick", Numair was looking fresh and shaven, though the look on Daine's face told him he must still be gray and he knew he was completely exhausted. They all spoke very briefly. Jon offered to get someone to help Numair to his room, but Daine insisted they were fine as she was headed to her room for some sleep too and they were next door to one another.

Numair promised himself he would talk to Jon later privately. He had witnessed his king weep for those he had sent to their deaths and he wanted to somehow find a way to comfort Jon without revealing that he knew something so private.

But for now he wanted to just be near Daine. Numair was a little afraid to let her go, lest something else should happen. So when they reached his room, he asked her and Kitten to come in and talk with him awhile. But once the door was closed, they spent a good ten minutes kissing hungrily, while Kit trilled in question.

"I heard the animals howling for you," he said at last, forehead leaning against hers. "I didn't know what happened, but I thought you had been killed."

So Daine began to tell him everything. Shortly after she had first seen signs of his battle with Inar Hadensra, a soldier had opened an unknown box and a chaos monster erupted from it. It became an enormous three headed snake. It was attacked by Raoul, the Badger, Goldstreak, a few thousand starlings, and Rikash. Rikash had been killed.

Daine began to cry as she recounted the whole scene, and Numair held her close. They sat on the bed now, his back against the headboard, while Daine snuggled next to him and Kitten lay across both laps.

Daine told him that she had flown after Ozorne to try to stop his escape. Ozorne had sent immortals after her – two stormwings and three winged apes and she had been injured and bled a lot. She had shifted into a mixture of birds to try to have the best air speed. And then Jelly and Leaf tried to help her and Ozorne destroyed them. Again, Daine sobbed heavily into his neck over the loss of friends.

When at last she went to fight Ozorne, she was weak and unable to shift, so she waited until he came to kill her and she cut his neck ear to ear with the badger claw she wore round her neck. She described a horrific fight wherin Ozorne gushed blood, drenching her. She had fallen with him, landing on top of him and when she stood, the necklace they had both seen him wearing stuck to the drying blood on her skin. She threw it and it broke and Uusoae appeared, intending to kill her. She described a pain like she had never imagined at Uusoae's touch. It was probably what made the animals howl.

Numair tightened his hold on Daine, pulling her so close that Kitten had to move. She trilled in protest.

"Then I was in the realms of the gods again," she said. "I saw all of the great gods and Father Universe and Mother Flame. They sent Uusoae to be trapped in her realm until the birth of the next star. And then they told me they needed to 'limit the scope of my influence'."

"What?" he asked incredulously.

"They said wherever the Godborn go that bad things happen. They wanted me to either choose the mortal realm or the Realms of the Gods."

"That's rich," he said angrily. "They never bothered limiting the scope of Ozorne's influence did they? You never caused any bad things to happen – he did! What's more they didn't make Chaos chose between realms and since Father Universe determines the birth of stars, all she has to do is bat her ugly multi-colored eyelashes to him and he'll let her out..." He could have continued his rant, but Daine was giggling at him.

"You're fair adorable when you're all defensive of me this way," she said, staring at him with dancing eyes. She leaned in to kiss him and they got swept away again until when they finally broke apart, he realized they were now lying on the bed, entangled in each others arms.

"Sorry," he said blushing and sitting up. He sat there a minute getting control of himself through meditative breathing. Then, remembering the brief dream he'd had after killing Inar Hadensra, he asked, "Was Kit with you up there?"

"Yes," Daine answered. "Kit, Diamondflame and Wingstar came up to be with me. So did the Badger and Goldstreak. I thought I had to stay because I gave my word to Ma, but she knew I wanted to come back. She said I should and that I had a good man waiting for me. She also said you were strange, but I think she meant it in a nice way."

He laughed. He _was _strange and he could accept that title. Looking at Daine, Numair realized how much better he felt than would have thought possible a few hours before. And then he really realized what Daine was saying and the laughter halted and he stared at her with awe. "You came back for me?"

"Yes, silly. Kit could have stayed up there with me. I could have looked in on my friends and known they were okay. But I had to come back, elsewise I couldn't have ever held you again." He felt himself smile at the same time as tears flooded his eyes and began to fall and he completely forgot to be bothered by it at all. Numair reached for Daine and kissed her cheeks, her lips, her forehead, her lips, her nose, her lips, her stubborn chin, her lips -- until she began to giggle against him. This was so far beyond any emotion he had ever experienced. They were lying together face to face, completely clothed with Kitten trilling at them from the end of the bed and he could not remember ever being happier. He stared into her blue-gray eyes intently, wishing they could just freeze time right here.

"What are you thinking?" she asked at last.

"That you are the embodiment of joy." He watched her smile. "Magelet, a few hours ago I thought I might never be happy again. Now I can't stop smiling."

She pulled the tie from his hair and began to finger comb it. Kit ventured up the bed again and they made space for her. "Tell me about your fight with Inar Hadensra."

"It might seem boring after your day," he said. "I did not meet gods or fight flying monkeys. I didn't get any wounds or –" he stopped mid-sentence. "Did you see a healer?"

"No, Gainel put his cloak around me so I wouldn't have to stand there naked and it healed me. Then Ma and Da gave me this dress and a new bow too." Then she looked confused and said, "Where's your staff?"

"It is scattered in tiny pieces all over the clearing where you found me."

"Hadensra blew it up?"

"No, I did." So he told her everything about the fight and finding the strength to end it through his love for her. He told her about Hadensra's last words and how much he didn't want to kill again. And he told her that he didn't want to be without her ever again.

For the first time in a long time, they were just silent in one another's company. They lay there, legs curled and knees pressed together with Kit snuggled tightly between them. They just stared into each other's eyes, completely content, until sleep overcame both.

When Numair awoke, Kit was still between them and Daine's hands were locked in his own. A blanket had been spread over all three, but he did not know how it got there and whether it was Daine or Kit who had covered them, or some outside party. His mouth was so dry he felt like he hadn't had anything to drink for days.

He kissed Daine's cheek and pulled his hands from hers gently. He stopped to pet Kit on the head and slipped out to get some food for them all.

It looked to be dawn, but he wasn't absolutely sure of what day. He felt like he had slept around two or three clocks.

He walked down toward the kitchens, finding Lady Marielle talking with the cook. "Master Salmalin!" she said brightly.

He bowed politely. "Good morning – it is morning, right?"

She laughed. "Yes, sir. And a beautiful morning it is too. Most of the magic folk haven't stirred yet, though it's been two days. We have seen the dragonet a couple of times though."

He looked at her guiltily, wondering if she knew where Daine had slept. She grinned at him. "A most curious thing happened. Ms. Sarrasri never made it to her room." He felt his cheeks turn red and tried not to look at the cook. Servants were very often guilty of spreading gossip. As if she read his mind Marielle continued, "Don't worry about Yola or myself, we don't spread rumors."

He blinked heavily. "Forgive me. It was not intentional. We were talking about the battles and I guess we just fell asleep."

"I have seen some strange things in this war, Master Salmalin. Our allies were the strangest crew of critters I've ever encountered. I wasn't sure how I felt about the unusual mixture. But then I saw your little family when I checked on you. Ms. Sarrasri is a very unusual girl and I know the dragon is unconventional. I've mostly _heard_ things about you. We didn't get to know one another well before you disappeared. But I think you're probably all together because one's just as unusual as the other. And, you look very perfect together."

He didn't know whether to laugh or hide his head. He finally covered his face and chuckled.

"Judging by the things King Jonathan said when that girl insisted on finding you instead of telling him what had taken place, I'm going to guess he doesn't know." Her face was kind and he couldn't help but feel at ease around her.

"It's very new," Numair finally conceded. "Daine didn't want to answer awkward questions before we had a chance to discuss things."

"Well, I suppose I won't try to introduce you to my daughter then," she said with an amused smile. Yola handed her a tray of food with three glasses and then brought another to him. He thanked her graciously.

"The queen knows, doesn't she?" she continued. "She asked me if I thought Daine was behaving like someone looking for her favorite eccentric uncle." Now he laughed outright. When he had confided his feelings to Thayet several months ago he had told her that he thought Daine was fond of him like one would be fond of an eccentric uncle.

"Thayet prides herself on being able to smell budding romance," he answered. "I suspect you two have that in common."

Marielle chuckled, eyes twinkling. "Yes, we do. When Ms. Sarrasri decides to return to her own room, tell her it will be waiting." He nodded and returned with the tray to where he had left Daine sleeping.

It was another day before everybody was really awake and moving. They had rested well, eaten enough to sustain their bodies and all had baths. Numair figured that it was time to resume his persuading. So when he met Daine for breakfast he grabbed three apples and started to juggle. She grinned at him. "You're in a strange mood this morning," she said.

"I'm a strange man – so I've been told," he said. She laughed. "I thought I should practice my juggling." He stopped and set the apples in front of her. "When is someday?" he asked eyes intent upon hers. At that moment Onua came in the room followed by Sarge. He could see she didn't want to discuss this in front of them.

"Someday," she whispered, "is an undecided time. I will – someday."

"Should I keep trying?" he asked quietly, feeling a little rejected. She nodded.

"What are you two plotting over there?" Onua asked with a smile. "Come be sociable."

They picked up their food trays and moved to sit across from Onua and Sarge. Daine immediately started up a conversation with Sarge. "Your spear throwing lessons with Numair paid off, did he tell you?"

Soon they were discussing everything that happened in various battles. Sarge had seen some crazy things too as he organized fighters. He had even seen a slave trader fighting with the Carthaki Rebels that he knew from his past. Before long, Jon, Thayet, Harailt, Tkaa, Evin Larse, and a few other really good friends joined them as they discussed things. That turned into a clean-up planning session and soon they were outside doing what they could to return the country to its former splendor.

Days turned into weeks as they worked to rebuild. Daine and Numair stayed with Jon and Thayet as they traveled back to Corus, cleaning and rebuilding as they went. There were a few scattered enemies to round up, though most seemed to have disappeared or been killed. Often there were remains to bury, though the stormwings and vultures left little for the families to look upon.

For Numair, everyday started by meeting Daine for a swift good morning kiss and ended with a fresh attempt at convincing her to marry him – always with the same answer. This lasted until she told him he didn't have to ask everyday, letting him know effectively that she didn't want to discuss it.

Slowly, close friends found out about them. Kit told Tkaa. Daine asked some advice of Alanna and Onua, then ended up telling them the truth with Numair's help. Thayet spotted them holding hands and confirmed her own suspicions. George and Sarge learned from Alanna and Onua.

When at last Corus seemed to be returned to normal, Jon and Thayet announced a ball to honor the heroes and fallen of the war. Those who were part of the fighting were ordered to attend the affair on the 1st of September at the Royal Palace. Even Raoul could not back out and he was not happy about it. Numair took the bold step of asking Daine if he could escort her and she accepted.

The night was more solemn than joyous. Everyone came dressed in black, charcoal or gray. For some the losses had been more devastating than for others. Duke Baird had lost his two eldest sons. He and his wife grieved them with every breath. Evin Larse announced an engagement to Miri, the girl he had kissed publicly in midwinter. But the engagement was short lived when Miri was killed after happening upon a nest of spidrens just six weeks after the war ended. Everyone knew and loved someone killed in the war or by its after-effects. And still, they tried to smile at one another and move forward, even if it was painful.

So at the beginning of the ball, Jon and Thayet traveled from guest to guest trying to say kind things and even funny things to make the air less tense. When Jon saw Daine, he pulled her aside to tell her how lovely she looked. He didn't seem to know she had an escort, let alone who it was. Numair stood by holding the two glasses of juice he had gone to retrieve and heard Jon say, "My dear, you look very lovely. I had not realized what a beautiful young woman you've become. If you would like, we could present you at court with the other eligible young ladies this fall." Numair felt himself blanch.

"That's alright, Sire," she said with a smile. "I'm already taken."

He looked at her surprised, while Numair beamed unrestrainedly behind them. "I had no idea," Jon said, turning to his wife who merely shrugged.

When at last they saw Numair, he had given Daine her glass of juice and was trying not to look too smug. He spoke briefly with the king and queen before turning to talk to Lindhall Reed and Elyra Kelton, both of whom were back from helping in the north.

Jon lead Thayet to the dance floor and couples followed one by one, though Numair and Daine stayed to the side laughing with George and Alanna.

"Jon actually asked me who you were seeing," Alanna told Daine. "When exactly are you going to tell him?"

"That's up to her," Numair said.

"I thought _you_ were going to tell him," Daine said pointedly.

"And I will, when you tell me I can or agree to marry me," he said with a big grin.

"See, he's already takin' orders," George said. Alanna snorted into her drink.

"I admit it. I'd do anything she told me to for one more beautiful smile," Numair flirted. Daine promptly smiled and he turned to George and said, "You see? How could a man look on her and do anything but what she tells him?"

"Daine, you should watch him," Alanna advised, "He may talk all sugar, but I know he's too crafty to mean it, just like mine." The women laughed.

"No, because he wouldn't ride alone through miles of immortal infested forest just to come to you when you need him," Numair sassed sarcastically. "Oh wait – didn't you do that once, George?"

"Yep, proud of it too, though I wasn't all alone. I had a griffin 'fer company."

Alanna rewarded her husband with a simmering kiss. Daine grabbed Numair's hand and pulled him toward the dance floor. "Come dance with me," she said. He set down his glass and followed obediently.

Once on the floor they began to talk while they waltzed. "I will marry you someday, Numair. I mean that. But I don't know why it's so important to you. Is it just because of societal rules?"

He wanted to say no, but it was a hard thing to answer because without societal rules, marriage wouldn't exist at all. Like animals, they would just take a mate and call it good. He told her as much.

"You said that you were afraid I might marry you and then someday see an old man where I wanted a young one. My ma never married and she and Da seem just fine. Why do we have to rush into that part?"

He stared at her for a moment. "You're whole life people have treated you like you were less than proper. I wanted to treat you like a lady, that's all."

She smiled up at him. "Oh. But Numair, you have. You've always treated me with respect even when I didn't know how to speak and when I spent all my days covered in animal dung. You even treated me like a lady when I told you what I had done after Ma died and at the time I smelled like Sea Lions and dead fish."

"I don't want people around us to judge you and spread rumors about you because we're together and not married, which is why I work so hard at keeping my hands to myself. And Magelet, no one can test a man's restraint like you can."

She grinned at him, batting her eyes innocently. He looked down at her and laughed. "You know you do have me complete wrapped around your finger, right?" he asked.

She nodded. "Do you want to tell Jon about us?"

"I should, yes. I'm not sure how though. It's not like I can tell him we're engaged or something."

"Why not?" she asked defiantly. "It's just a long engagement, that's all."

"Really?" he asked, knowing he had a big, stupid grin on his face. "Would you wear a ring?"

"Yes," she answered. Numair began to scramble in his belt purse, producing a ring he had purchased for her in Legann. "You carry it around with you?" she said incredulously.

"Well, I didn't know when I would need it and I didn't want to misplace it," he said apologetically, offering her the ring. It was a very pretty thing – an intricately shaped gold band with a fire opal in between two small diamonds. She didn't put it on her finger. Instead she opened the clasp on the chain that held her badger claw and a small gold charm. She slipped it on there and asked him to spell it so it wouldn't come off. He did so immediately and she laughed at his eagerness.

They resumed dancing at the proper distance until soon Daine asked, "Why did we ever hide this in the first place?"

"Because I decided to let you take the lead in revealing it," he answered. "I didn't want to embarrass you in any way and I didn't know if you might –" he stopped at the exasperated look on her face.

"We were waiting on each other," she said, then laughed at the irony. She looked up into his eyes and said, "Kiss me."

"Here?" he asked, surprised.

"We're both worried about what everybody will think, right? Like they might think we're doing something wrong. 'Cept if we don't want them to think we're doing something wrong, we shouldn't act like we are."

"You're probably right," he said, chuckling.

"So kiss me." He still hesitated, not sure this was the way to let anyone know this secret, let alone everyone. But then she gave him that smile he couldn't resists and said, "Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me, kiss me," quickly and repeatedly until he did. It was as if they were standing still in time and he forgot the whole rest of the world. There was just himself and Daine.

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You have to wait to find out how everyone reacts.


	31. Chapter 31 Lovers

**Today is my 3 month anniversary on Fanfiction and today I submit the last chapter of the last story I'm writing before I embark on my own book. Isn't that a funny coincidence? **

**Disclaimer: It's Tamora Pierces'**

_**A/N:** I know everyone is mad about Miri. I read somewhere that she died just after the war, though I'm not absolutely sure where I read it. I think it was an interview with TP but it might have been a fanfic. Since I'm not sure, I cannot tell you one way or the other. But I thought it made sense because she never appears again. So anyway, sorry, but it was necessary to illustrate the pain of war._

_I actually squeezed everything in to this one chapter, so this winds up my story. This whole story was one born more of request than desire to write. So I figured I couldn't give people what they wanted in one area and not another. So this goes to the first time and ends._

_Pretzel: You have got to be psychic. When I finished the chapter and went back to add the responses, I nearly passed out. Yes, he does wolf-whistle._

_Goldeneyedwildmage: Thanks for passing messages through Sarah. I'm glad you didn't give up on me._

_Silverlake: I'm not sure if anyone else realized that I was including those. If they had, they might have known that Jon was not completely clueless._

_NaturallyInsane: Thanks and sorry about Miri. I hated it too. She's a character I loved, but she had to go away or else Evin would definitely have married her._

_Hoshi-Ko88: I've had that line bouncing around my brain since before I started so I'm glad it was well received._

_Sarramaks: Thanks. Lot's more fluff coming too._

_OneChuThree: Thanks for the compliments. Reviews cannot be too long if they tell an author what was great. When you learn what your audience really likes it's easier to do it again. I'll put some stuff about the book at the bottom._

_Impossible-dreams: TP was very tricky about the marriage thing. I'm not even sure when it took place because TQ starts right after LK. If you look at the end of each of those books, there's a glossary of characters. In the PotS series, Daine is always listed as Veralidaine Sarrasri. In the end of TQ her name is Veralidaine Salmalin. Obviously they did get married, we just don't know when or if she was pregnant first._

_Sunfish Sailor: Sorry to say I squeezed it into one chapter. This is it._

_Nativewildmage: Thanks. I hope you like the reactions. I'll still drop by and visit and might do some one shots here and there in between my own stuff, though I will mostly focus on my book._

_Ethalas Tuath'an: Thanks so much. I wind it up below. I hope you like it._

_Bitterosemary: I'm evil and ingenious – heehee! I'm glad you liked those lines. They were my favorites too along with "You carry it around with you?" Many people were upset about Miri, and I cannot imagine what poor Evin would have felt. He does recover and becomes quite the ladies man in PotS. This is the wind up. I hope you like it. Then I'm off to work on my own book. I will very much miss your reviews. You have really helped me so much. Every time you pointed out a line you loved, I understood better what works and what doesn't. You are a great reviewer, even able to highlight mistakes without making a person lose confidence._

_Purple Eyed Cat: No, Jon is not really THAT clueless. I made him appear that way and you'll see why below. I love Jon. He isn't always the quickest to pick up on romance (cannon proves it) but he is well intentioned. THIS is my last chapter. I will miss you too. I might drop in to do one-shots, but you won't see any more long stories until my book is done. At the rate I write it might not be that long. Oh and this is a very fluffy chapter._

_Celuna Cirrus: I explained Miri above. Sorry. I hope you like the wind up._

_Twilight Shades: I hope you have passed all those midterms. Anyway, glad you liked the story. This is the last chapter._

_**Chapter 31 - Lovers**_

The world came rushing back when some of what was going on around Daine and Numair started to sink in. Someone had knocked over what sounded like a chair and it hit the floor with a loud clunk. When the kiss was broken, Numair looked in the direction of the noise and saw Nealan of Queenscove picking himself off the floor and then repositioning the chair he had apparently walked into. He looked very shocked. Numair had known Nealan had a crush on Daine for sometime and could imagine how the boy felt. Next to Nealan, Duke Baird was actually smiling for the first time in weeks. Numair saw him wink at them.

"I'm almost positive the loud whistling was George," Daine whispered, stifling giggles. Numair hadn't even heard it.

A soft voice behind them said, "It's about time." Numair turned to look at Lindhall Reed, one of the people he had been most nervous to tell. He was standing there with his lover, Elyra Kelton, who looked mildly surprised, but smiled warmly. Lindhall continued, "Do I have a new student, then?" Daine looked at Numair, obviously surprised.

"Numair can't be my teacher anymore?" Daine asked.

"I haven't really been in a long time, have I?" he asked her in return.

"No, I don't suppose. So if I need any lessons, I go to Lindhall now?" she seemed confused.

"Only if you want to," Lindhall said. "Teachers try not to fall in love with their students. It's a relationship we don't usually mix. I have subtly offered before to take over for Numair, but I didn't want to suggest there was something between you if I was mistaken."

Numair processed this silently. There was one discussion that had started by Lindhall asking him to teach Elyra things since their relationship had changed. But the lessons never materialized. At the time, Numair felt that Lindhall might have been suggesting that Numair's feelings for Daine were going past the boundaries. But at that time Numair never thought Daine would return his affections and he did not see a point in changing the arrangements for unrequited love. He had not thought about the lesson issue since.

Elyra said softly, "I guess she wasn't that far away at all," finally figuring out that when Numair once told her his heart belonged to another, he had been talking about Daine. He nodded. "You do make a nice match," she said. She turned back to Lindhall and responding to the inquiring look, she explained, "He told me he thought his heart belonged to someone last November, though he led me to believe she was far away."

Numair turned his attention back to Lindhall and searched his face. "Don't worry so much," Lindhall said, patting his shoulder. "I thought you were a little too attached when I first met Ms. Sarrasri in Carthak. But you two seem to have been made for one another. If that's the way the gods intended it, it would be foolish to fight it." He smiled and Numair felt himself smile in relief. He wouldn't have given a damn what his own father thought if Salam Draper were alive to care, but Lindhall, who he thought of as a real father figure, was another matter. His blessing meant everything to Numair.

"Thank you, Lindhall," he said sincerely. He felt Daine's hand slide into his own and their fingers automatically laced together.

Feeling more confident, Numair began to search the room for other reactions. He could see Buri grinning and talking to Thayet. Both women caught his eye and beamed. Alanna and George were conspicuously laughing and glancing at them. Raoul was standing next to Gary. Neither man seemed particularly surprised or irritated.

And then he found Jon. Jon was not happy. He could see Lady Eldorne standing with him. She was clearly ranting about something and Numair could not begin to guess what that was about. But he knew Jon well enough to know that he had better go try to smooth things over.

"Jon seems to have reacted similar to your father," Numair told Daine. "I need to go talk to him." She nodded but did not let go of his hand. She apparently planned to help. "Excuse us, please," Numair said to Lindhall and Elyra.

"Good luck," Elyra responded.

Hand in hand they walked toward Jon. When they reached him, he said, "Come with me." They followed him to his study. He closed the door behind them and sat, looking very irritated. "Why can't the two of you ever do anything normally?" he asked. Numair had to admit that was not what he had expected.

"You knew," Numair said, feeling really awkward. Daine stifled a giggle.

"I guessed." Then his expression changed to a look of confusion. "Or maybe Thayet guessed for me. Anyway, when we were in Pirates Swoop a couple weeks back, we saw the two of you flying around in bird form, chasing each other. But no one would confirm it for me. Couldn't you just tell me? I've given you a dozen perfect openings in the last two weeks and I even baited you this evening. Surely you must realize that I know Daine wouldn't want to be presented at court. Do you know that I even gave Alanna an opening to make me feel like a fool tonight? That's something I loathe to do, by the way. Either she didn't know either or you've convinced all our mutual friends to keep tight lipped about it."

Numair knew he was blushing crimson. "Sorry." He thought about telling Jon that Thayet and Alanna _did_ know, but decided against it.

"There is a proper way to do things. I could have announced you publicly. I could have kept quiet if you preferred. But no! You have to go and kiss in public and while the rest of your friends get to tease you and pat you on the back, I'll get to tell all the loud-mouthed conservatives that 'No, you really weren't going to start ripping each other's clothes off in the middle of the dance floor'." Numair couldn't help but be amused. In the past two months there had been many kisses with much more passion than that one – a few that did result in removed clothing and embarrassed apologies.

Daine began to laugh most unhelpfully. But to his surprise, Jon joined in. "Is that what that old woman was bending your ear about?" she asked.

"Yes." And despite how angry he had come across, Jon was wearing the lop-sided grin that he only wore when extremely entertained.

All nervousness evaporated and Numair felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "I'm so sorry, Jon. I should have told you, but she only just agreed to accept my ring tonight. Engagements are always sealed with a kiss, yes?"

Now Jon beamed at them. He reached for Daine's hand but looked confused when he found no ring. "If I wear it the normal way, I'll lose it the first time I shape shift," she answered. She removed her necklace and handed it to him.

"It's a very beautiful ring," Jon said kindly. Then the mischievous look appeared again. "You're getting quite an assorted collection on this chain." He was now holding out the anti-pregnancy charm. Numair felt his face heat up again. He wasn't sure why since he had nothing to blush about.

Daine took the chain back and put it around her neck. "My ma was a mid-wife," she said simply and Numair noted that she hadn't blushed at all. "A girl has to be prepared."

There was a knock at the door. Jon stood to open it and there was Alanna, George, Onua, Sarge, and Thayet. "Reinforcements?" Jon asked. Alanna pushed her way in and the others followed. "Save your breath, the scolding is done." But when Thayet entered the room, Jon said, "_You_ have some explaining to do." In his most sarcastic tone Jon said, "Haven't heard any confirmations, ri-i-i-ght." She laughed and shrugged. "Go get Buri, Gary, Raoul, and any of the rest of the inner circle. No conservatives allowed. We'll have the real party in here – an engagement party."

"Really?" Thayet asked, smiling brightly.

"Yes," Jon said. "For once _I _get to know something first."

The study became very crowded. Lindhall, Elyra, Harailt, and Kuri Taylor were also part of the festivities. Tkaa and Kit joined them after about a half hour. Numair wondered if any of the conservatives had noticed that the King, Queen and their closest friends had disappeared.

Daine had been asked to show her ring so many times that Numair had finally unspelled it so she could put it on her hand. It was easier and a little less embarrassing than letting everyone see the anti-pregnancy charm over and over.

There was one awkward moment when Thayet, in her enthusiasm, began to talk about wedding things, and Daine informed her loudly that they were in no hurry to be married. It sounded to Numair like they might not ever actually get married. He supposed he couldn't complain though. Daine loved him, she had returned to the mortal realm for him, and she was willing to call herself engaged to him. It would have to be enough. He had to admit to himself that he was getting caught up in societal rules. He generally thought societal normalcies were an oxymoron and that too many people allowed such nonsense to rule their lives. Now he realized that he had been guilty of that. He supposed it was because of the fact that he had been her teacher and because of the age difference. The age difference, of course, was not that unusual, though as a consequence of arranged marriage, not love. So maybe that was his push to get married. He could wait as long as she needed – even if it never came.

Numair kept one arm around Daine as the night progressed. This was nice. He had the woman he loved beside him in front of most of their friends. This had been much easier than he had ever imagined. Everyone he cared about seemed to be happy for them. Suddenly, Numair couldn't remember why he had ever been worried.

"…a whole new meaning to love birds," Jon was saying above the din. Laughter followed. He was apparently recounting the day that he saw them flying together at Pirates Swoop. This was apparently the amusing story phase. Numair looked at Daine. She had a strange expression, somewhere between being perturbed and charmed. He suspected he was wearing a similar expression.

"…should lock 'em in a room together naked," George was saying. "She settled for leavin' 'em ta sleep in the same tent when he was drained and she was delirious."

"When Numair woke up, Daine was laying squarely on top of him, face buried in his chest hair," Alanna added.

Numair covered his face with his free hand. "You never told me that," Daine whispered to him.

"George was teasing him so much he started making fun of himself. He said we all knew Daine likes furry things." Alanna finished the story, "So he lifts up the blanket and there are six or seven rabbits hiding underneath it." This was followed by another roar of laughter.

"Do you think they would even notice if we left?" Daine asked.

"Probably not, though it might be difficult to get Kitten without being observed," he answered.

A quiet voice behind them said, "I will take care of Skysong if you want to escape the embarrassing stories." Numair turned to Tkaa. "You should celebrate this engagement privately anyway."

"Thanks, Tkaa. You're fair wonderful," Daine said.

George had moved on to telling a story about Cloud referring to Numair as Daine's "stallion". Numair was grateful for the escape. "Why exactly did you translate that for him?" Numair asked Daine as they slipped out the door. She just laughed.

They walked through the castle grounds toward Daine's room under the rider barracks. Numair intended only to put the ring back on the chain, but no sooner had they closed the door, then Daine pulled him into a passionate kiss. That turned into a heavy petting session and before he knew it, Numair found himself kissing Daine's neck, while her black dress lay discarded on the floor.

"I'm so sorry. I got carried away," he said, trying to remember how to breathe.

Daine sighed heavily and looked at him imploringly. She said nothing but pulled a robe on over her shift.

"I should go," Numair said. He leaned over and kissed her softly on the cheek. "I love you. Thank you for wearing the ring. I'll see you in the morning." He left rather swiftly, but it was necessary. He stopped at the water bucket outside of the barracks and splashed his face with cold water. Then, for good measure, he stuck his head in the water. It was getting to be a ritual. There was part of him that wondered if she might want to take the next step now but was just afraid to say so. But the more reasonable part of him pointed out that Daine was never one to keep quiet about anything, much less this. She would let him know when she was ready and until then he had promised he would show restraint. And if that weren't enough encouragement, he could always think of creative ways that Weiryn might invent to punish him for going too far with his daughter. Weiryn provided an effective deterrent.

Numair dripped his way back toward the castle, finally using his gift to dry himself when all his blood had returned to the proper places. He walked silently to his room and removed his shoes and set them by the door. He pulled his socks off before he realized he wasn't alone. There was a starling perched on a chair in his sitting room. Daine shifted smoothly to herself and stood there naked. He averted his eyes and swallowed hard, standing absurdly holding his socks in one hand.

He heard her bare feet as she approached and he wanted to say something, but he didn't have the faintest clue what, so he remained silent.

"It suddenly occurred to me that you were running away because I didn't tell you not to," Daine said. She placed a hand on either side of his face and directed him to look down at her. "You don't even have to worry about taking my clothes off me. I did it for you." She didn't even sound the slightest bit nervous. _She should be nervous. I was nervous the first time._ He could only vaguely remember it at the moment through the haze of excitement building in his mind. He had done some truly asinine things because of nerves. He could remember that at one point he and Emma (that was her name) actually smacked their foreheads together when they both bent at the same time to untie his breeches.

"Daine, are.." She placed a finger over his lips.

"You always stop the kisses if you think too much. So tonight I'm starting the kisses," she stopped long enough to pull him into a brief kiss. "And I'm not going to stop until I've kissed," she stopped long enough to kiss his top shirt button, "every," she kissed the next button, "square" she kissed the next button, "inch" and the next button, "of," and the next, "you," she ended on the button just below his rib cage. If the intention was to arouse him it had worked magnificently. "I'm not that crazy about buttons though. This needs to come off."

He nodded stupidly, completely hypnotized by her. He might have asked if she was sure, but she was leading. One very hot kiss later, his shirt lay in front of the door and he was following Daine toward the bed chamber.

They stopped to kiss again just outside the bedroom door and she began to tug at the tie on his breeches. "Sweet, slow down." She backed off looking hurt. "I didn't mean you had to stop. I mean -- we can if you want to – you don't have to…" He was actually stuttering.

She started to giggle. "You sound as nervous as I feel."

He laughed a little too and it helped a lot. "I _am_ nervous. I don't want you to regret this and I don't want to hurt you in any way." He pulled her against him and kissed her gently. "If you want to stop at any point.."

"I won't," she said defiantly.

"If you do," he insisted, "Just tell me -- and umm you might have to remind me to breathe."

She laughed shakily. "I love you," she said seriously.

"I know. And you know I love you -- completely." And now he could feel her tremble slightly. She was nervous and very vulnerable without a stitch on. Realizing the unbalance of the situation, he stood right there and stripped the rest of his clothes off. Then he pulled her into another gentle kiss and when they broke for air he pulled back to search her face. He needed to know she was sure.

She smiled at him a little shyly. "I'm sure. Suddenly fair nervous, but sure."

"We don't have to rush this," he said, trying to let her know she had an out. She just opened the door and led him into the bed chamber.

"It helped to laugh a little," she confided. "But I've never been so sure about anything."

She pulled him into another kiss so ardent, all thought fell right out of his brain. He had to scramble to remember something he had been telling himself before. _Laughter helped – that was it. _"Magelet, do you need to be in cat form to purr?"

She grinned at him. "I don't know."

"Let's find out." She laughed. He closed the door.

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Finis!

_My book will be called "Something Special" though I'm not yet sure if I will write under my name or a pen name. I learned a hard lesson on this site about the wonders of anonymity. The story is a fantasy tale about a girl who is the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. Her mother was a powerful sorceress and everyone was certain she would be too. But Zalene has no apparent power and is hence referred to repeatedly as 'nothing special'. Her mother decided it was because she had seven daughters but six pregnancies, so she tried again. This time she had a boy and she died in child birth. The children go to their mean Aunt who treats them terribly. She sets up a marriage for Zalene (who is now 13) to a man 40 years older that she doesn't know and then the aunt sells the little brother into slavery. Zalene runs away both to escape a future she can't settle for and to find her baby brother. And she hopes along the way that she will find someplace where she can be considered something special._

_I've no publisher and no time frame to give you for publishing, but I will have the first draft done soon and hopefully I'll get lucky enough to go somewhere with it._

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_**Thank you so much to everyone who read my stories and encouraged me so. I will keep my own favorite list updated so you can see who my favorite authors are if you're looking for something great to read.**_


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